DGJP-230 Jaebŏngtŭl
| DGJP-230 Jaebŏngtŭl | |
|---|---|
| File:SKAP 230.png DGJP-230A and B. Variant Ch resembles B externally. | |
| Type | Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun |
| Place of origin |  Menghe |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1995-present |
| Used by | Menghean Army |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Namyang Design Bureau |
| Designed | 1982-1994 |
| Manufacturer | Haeju Special Automotive Plant |
| Unit cost | $7.5 million |
| Produced | 1994-present |
| No. built | 2,400 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 36 tonnes |
| Length | 8.27 m including guns and fuel tanks |
| Width | 3.35 m |
| Height | 2.68 m to turret roof |
| Crew | 4 (commander, driver, gunner, radar operator) |
| Armor | welded steel plate |
Main armament | 30mm DGGP-30-2 twin-barrel Gast Gun |
Secondary armament | 8x YJG-61 SAM (B and Ch variants) |
| Engine | 12-cylinder air-cooled diesel 650 hp |
| Power/weight | 18.1 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
| Ground clearance | 45 cm |
Operational range | 500 km (internal fuel) |
| Speed | 60 km/h (road) |
The DGJP-230 (Menghean: 대공 자주포, Daegong Jajupo, "Anti-Air Self-propelled Gun," 2x30mm) is a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun developed in Menghe. It is designed to provide all-weather close-range air defense for armored and mechanized forces on the front lines, and is capable of engaging fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters as well as precision-guided munitions. Its main armament consists of the air-cooled DGGP-30-2 autocannon, which has two 30mm barrels in a Gast-gun arrangement to increase rate of fire. On later variants, this is supplemented by infrared-guided missiles, further increasing the vehicle's engagement envelope. Its long, narrow guns, high rate of fire, and reliable accuracy have earned it the nickname Jaebŏngtŭl (재봉틀), meaning "Sewing Machine."
Development
Work on the DGJP-230 began in 1982, and was motivated by concerns about the poor accuracy, range, and reliability of the existing DGJP-422. The first prototypes were submitted for trials at the Hŭksan test facility in 1985, but despite impressive performance in the first few trials, development slowed to a halt due to mounting economic pressure. In 1988, the new Menghean government – still concerned about the poor performance of the DGJP-422 – ordered the design to be refined and completed. The first vehicles entered service in 1994 as the DGJP-230A.
Design
Layout
The standard DGJP-230 is built on a converted chassis of the MinChong-4 medium tank. This decision was made in part to conserve parts commonality with existing vehicles, but also to provide a destination for MCh-4 hulls as the type was retired in favor of the MinChong-5. A MinChong-5 hull was also considered in early development, and at least one prototype in this configuration was completed early in 1987, but the configuration was considered too cramped and needlessly expensive.
In the front of the hull, the ammunition storage space to the driver's right is replaced with a separate seat for the radar operator, complete with a hatch and periscopes on the hull roof. To leave space for the radar operator and his equipment, the turret is seated further back on the DGJP-230 than on the original MCh-4, which along with the radar operator's hatch necessitates the replacement of the entire roof section. Inside the turret, the gunner sits on the left and the commander on the right in the mid-rear portion of the turret, similar to the layout used on the MCh-5 and its successors. The 30mm autocannon and its feeding and traverse mechanisms occupy the front half of the turret interior. Conversion to DGJP-230 also entails the installation of a new 650-horsepower engine, which in turn raises the vehicle's top road speed from 50 to 60 kilometers per hour and improves its mobility on rough terrain.
Because the DGJP-230 is built on a converted tank chassis, it enjoys fairly good armor protection. The new turret is similarly well-protected, with 30mm steel plates on the front and each side. This armor scheme is insufficient to protect the vehicle against light anti-armor rockets, let alone direct hits from air-to-ground missiles, though it does offer protection against near-miss shell and bomb strikes as well as autocannon fire. Such damage would likely be sufficient to put the radar and missiles out of action, but if the crew survives, they may be able to re-engage with the electro-optical sight. Crew survivability was a leading concern in the design process, as the Menghean Army and the Menghe People's Army before it both faced a limited supply of skilled radar operators.
Armament
The main armament consists of the DGGP-30-2 autocannon, which consists of two 30mm barrels arranged in a Gast-gun layout that allows a rate of fire of 1,900rpm per barrel (or 3,800 rpm total). The weapon fires 30x175mm electrically-fused ammunition, a cartridge already in service with the Air Force and Navy but previously not used by the Army. On variants "B" onward, these guns are supplemented by eight YJG-61 infrared-imaging missiles, extending the maximum engagement range from 2-3 up to 9 kilometers. Both of these weapons can be fired from the move, though accuracy is improved when the vehicle is stationary.
Targeting and Electronics
A new radar and targeting suite is considered the DGJP-230's most potent upgrade over the older DGJP-422. A circular targeting radar mounted on the roof calculates firing solutions on airborne targets and tracks the outgoing rounds to adjust the system's aim while firing. This radar is supplemented by an electro-optical targeting system, which can be used to fire the guns accurately without exposing the vehicle to radar jamming or anti-radiation missiles. The use of infrared-guided missiles further reduces the vehicle’s vulnerability to SEAD efforts, though the missiles' range is reduced when targets can only be detected by the electro-optical system.
Under normal conditions, target detection is provided by an air-search radar which, according to official Menghean sources, can detect a fighter-sized target at a distance of 16 kilometers. The radar mast can be lowered over the back of the turret when the vehicle is traveling or in transport. Up to nine vehicles can be paired with a single mobile radar or command post, further increasing detection range and allowing targets to be distributed among individual vehicles. DGJP-230Ch, entering service in 2010, brought further increases in radar range and targeting capability owing to the incorporation of Oyashimese electronics and fire-control computers.
DGJP-230HB
The DGJP-230HB (해군 보병, Haegun Bobyŏng) is a variant of the DGJP-230 built for the Menghean Marine Infantry. While its armament, crew arrangement, and targeting suite are identical with the Army version, their layout in the turret is slightly modified, with the commander and gunner seated closer together, the illumination radar at the rear of the turret, and the electro-optical sight peering through an opening in the turret face. The new turret is protected only by a thin steel skin, unlike the 30mm armor used by the original DGJP-230. The variant DGJP-230HBA supplements its guns with IIR missiles, but these are the LD-38 MANPADS rather than the larger and heavier LD-61.
In addition to its new turret, the DGJP-230MP also uses a different hull: the KDYJ (큰 다용도 장갑차, Kŭn Dayongdo-Janggabcha, "Large Multipurpose Armored Vehicle"), a tracked amphibious utility chassis family originally designed for the Menghean Army. Compared to its land cousin, the DGJP-230HB is thus twelve tonnes lighter and fully amphibious. Its rear waterjet engines can propel it to a speed of 11 kilometers per hour, and it is stable enough to swim from the landing craft to shore in steady seas. These capabilities come at the cost of sacrificing its armor protection, which was a major selling point of the original DGJP-230.
Service
The Menghean Army plans to make the DGJP-230 its main regimental air-defense system, and large-scale production is well underway. Typically, two batteries of nine DGJP-230s each are attached to a single regiment, along with two additional batteries of SLD-35 SAM vehicles. Following the 2012 organizational readjustments, some Regiments have been equipped with three batteries of DGJP-230Bs in place of the SLD-35s, which fire an older IIR missile and lack guns. As a supplement to domestic production, the Singun-Battang Korrigae arms company offers the DGJP-230 for export.