DGP-35-2
| DGP-35-2G | |
|---|---|
 DGP-35-2G at a Menghean airshow in 2011 | |
| Type | Towed anti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin | Hallia, Menghe |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1994-present |
| Used by | Menghe |
| Wars | Polvokian Civil War Ummayan Civil War Innominadan Crisis Innominadan Uprising |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Samsan Heavy Industries |
| Produced | 1994-present |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 6,700 kg (14,800 lb) (loaded) |
| Length | 7.8 m (310 in) |
| Barrel length | 3.15 m (124 in) |
| Width | 2.26 m (traveling) |
| Crew | 3 |
| Shell | 35×228mm |
| Barrels | 2 |
| Action | Gas-operated |
| Carriage | 4 wheels, 3 outriggers |
| Elevation | -5° to +92° |
| Traverse | Full 360° |
| Rate of fire | 1100 rounds/min (combined) |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,173 m/s (3,850 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 4,000 m (4,400 yd) |
| Feed system | 7-round clips |
| Sights | Holographic sight with laser rangefinder |
The DGP-35-2 is a Menghean licensed derivative of the Hallian Oerlikon GDF towed anti-aircraft gun. It consists of two 35mm autocannons, hence the designation, on an electrically powered wheeled mount. The turret can be aimed manually by its crew, or automatically by a separate fire-control center. Menghe purchased a license for the system in 1993, and later developed a series of improved variants, also derived from Hallian GDF derivatives.
Description
All variants of the DGP-35-2 are armed with two 35mm autocannons, each one firing at a rate of 550 rounds per minute. The guns are chambered for the 35×228mm cartridge, and can fire a variety of shell types, including armor-piercing rounds. When manually aimed, the DGP-35-2 is effective against fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and UAVs; when linked to a computerized fire-control post and loaded with smart-fused ammunition, it is also able to engage cruise missiles and artillery rockets, and can engage conventional aircraft more effectively. A five-person crew can bring a DGP-35-2 from its towed configuration into a battle-ready state in 90 seconds.
Towed variants
DGP-35-2G
The "G" variant of the DGP-35-2 is a licensed copy of the Oerlikon GDF-003, an early-80s variant. It features an improved anti-aircraft sight, self-lubricating parts, and compatibility with a separate fire-control post, but lacks the Gunking 3D computer-controlled sight and automatic reloading system carried by the GDF-005. It carries a total of 238 rounds: 112 ready to fire (eight 7-round clips in each gun's fixed loading box), and 126 on-mount reloads (eighteen 7-round clips split between the two boxes on the rear of the mount). Consequently, it requires a crew of 3: a single gunner who aims the weapon, and two loaders who move ammunition clips from the reload boxes into the guns' loading boxes. The driver and the co-driver of the tow vehicle, typically a Chŏnsŏ G586, assist in setting up the gun, and may also carry ammunition to it if the tow vehicle is parked nearby.
DGP-35-2N
The "N" variant was originally licensed in the late 1990s to equip self-propelled anti-aircraft guns in the Menghean Army. In place of conventional ammunition boxes, it carries two large ammunition drums in the shape of truncated cones. Each drum contains 25 spaces for 8-round ammunition clips, and with an additional fifteen rounds in each side of the feed system, the total ready ammunition capacity is 430 rounds. The drums are reloaded by removing their outside circular covers.
The designation DGP-35-2N refers to a towed, deployable version of this system, introduced in 2006. In addition to the novel drum layout, it introduces an improved fire-control system. The DGP-35-2N is also compatible with AHEAD smart-fused projectiles, which detonate in front of the target and release 152 tungsten submunitions. These combined changes give the DGP-35-2N considerably greater effectiveness against conventional aircraft targets, and also allow it to engage cruise missiles, artillery rockets, and mortar shells when connected to an external fire-control radar. To support the use of smart-fused projectiles, each barrel has a special device at its muzzle to measure the exact velocity of each round and set its fuse accordingly.
Because the DGP-35-2N has more ready rounds than the DGP-35-2G has total rounds, it does not require human loaders. There is a single enclosed seat for a gunner, but as on the DGP-35-2G system, each gun can also be remotely aimed from a separate fire-control post. Because of its increased computing and power requirements, the DGP-35-2N sits on a more robust towed mount with added equipment boxes and an onboard generator. It can also be powered by an external electricity source, including the typical fire-control post.
DGP-35-2D
The "D" variant, introduced in 2015, is based on the DGP-35-2N, but replaces the gunner's seat with an onboard radar fire control system. This consists of a short-range air search radar, a fire-control radar, and an electro-optical targeting system with a laser rangefinder. Because it integrates all elements of the fire-control system, the DGP-35-2D mount does not require a separate air search and targeting radar, though it does require input from a human operator in a fire-control center. While all previous DGP-35-2 batteries could only engage one target at a time, the fire-control center for the DGP-35-2D system can assign targets to each mount independently, and can support up to four mounts in total. Alternatively, the DGP-35-2D can be installed on the roof of an armored vehicle with an individual command console inside, for easy development of a self-propelled anti-air gun.
Towed battery structure
In the Menghean Army, the G and N variants of the DGP-35-2 are typically arranged into gun platoons consisting of two DGP-35-2 towed units and one fire-control center, though each fire-control center is theoretically capable of supporting up to four towed guns. The fire-control center is a four-wheel trailer which contains a generator, an air-search radar, a fire-control radar, and seats for three crew: a platoon commander, a radar operator, and a fire director. Each gun also has a gunner and, for "G" variants, two loaders. Once the system is emplaced, the crew members in the fire-control center detect and track incoming targets and use the central fire-control radar to direct the fire of the attached guns. In addition to active radar, the fire-control center can also direct the guns using an electro-optical visual/IR camera unit and a laser rangefinder. If the fire-control center is damaged or destroyed, the individual gunners can manually aim and fire their guns.
The "D" variant has its own fire-control radar and air-search radar, making it more autonomous. In typical Menghean Army practice, a DGP-35-2D platoon has a modified command post with no onboard radar and an additional fire-control console. This allows the gun platoon to engage two targets simultaneously.
Self-propelled derivatives
Because of its versatility, the DGP-35-2 gun system has been fitted to a variety of armored and unarmored vehicles.
- DGCh-35-2: Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun using the DGP-35-2N in an enclosed turret.
- JDGP-35-2: DGP-35-2D mount installed on the roof of a IMCh-J Koppulso medium tracked utility chassis. Unlike the DGCh-35-2, it is slower, less protected, and non-stabilized, but it retains the same basic functionality when stationary.
- BDGP-35-2: DGP-35-2N mount installed on the rear of a Taekchŏn T512 8×8 chassis, with an onboard fire-control center with air search and fire-control radar. Like the JDGP-35-2, it can only fire when stationary, in this case with the help of hydraulic jacks. It also has a more limited 270-degree firing arc. It is mainly intended for the CRAM (counter rocket, artillery, and mortar) role, but can reposition more easily than the mounted systems.
Ammunition types
- HEI: High Explosive Incendiary.
- HEI-T: High Explosive Incendiary (Tracer).
- APDS: Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot.
- AHEAD: Smart-fused anti-aircraft and anti-missile round with 152 submunitions.
- TP: Target Practice.
- TP-T: Target Practice (Tracer).