HP-76/1
| HP-76/1 | |
|---|---|
 The HP-76/1 (bottom) and HP-76/1Y (top) | |
| Type | Naval gun |
| Place of origin | Menghe |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2006 |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1999 |
| Manufacturer | Gyŏngsan Naval Artillery Plant |
| Produced | 2003 |
| Variants | HP-76/1Y |
| Specifications (HP-76/1) | |
| Weight | 17,400 kg |
| Width | 3.47 m |
| Height | 3.45 m (deck to sight) |
| Shell weight | 12.4 kg |
| Caliber | 76.2 mm |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Recoil | 380 to 500 mm |
| Elevation | -15° to +85° |
| Traverse | ±170° |
| Rate of fire | 120 rpm (max) |
| Muzzle velocity | 980 m/s |
| Effective firing range | 10 km |
| Maximum firing range | 15.5 km |
| Feed system | 152 ready to fire rounds |
| Sights | fire-control radar electro-optical sight |
The HP-76/1 (Menghean: 해군 포탑 76/1, Haegun Potab 76/1, "Navy Turret 76/1") is a Menghean 76mm naval gun mounted in an enclosed, single-barrel turret, for use on light to medium-displacement warships such as frigates, corvettes, and patrol craft. It is derived from the AK-176 naval gun turret, but uses an angular composite shell to reduce radar reflection, and also features improved automation and a 152-round carousel. It can be used against aircraft, helicopters, missiles, land targets, and other warships.
Design
The HP-76/1 turret is fully automated, and integrated into the ship's fire-control system, though manual four-man backup controls exist for use if the ship's power supply is lost or if the fire-control radar is damaged. In powered mode, it can traverse at a rate of 45 degrees per second, completing a 180-degree rotation in four seconds.
Its autoloader offers the crew a selectable rate of fire, with options of 30 rpm, 60 rpm, and 120 rpm. The latter option is only available for short bursts, and would require 30 minutes to cool down after one minute of continuous firing. A "typical" ammunition load contains 128 rounds and penetrates only one deck into the ship's hull, but on larger warships an expanded two-deck magazine assembly with 256 rounds is available. The gun itself is 4.484 meters, or 59 calibers, in length, and is surrounded by a thermal sleeve which can circulate cooling water drawn in from outside the ship.
The original high-explosive rounds used by the mount are proximity-fused, and can be used against airborne targets, including anti-ship missiles. This allows the turret to function as a type of close-in weapon system, though its accuracy is mixed. Against airborne targets, it has an effective range of 12 kilometers, and an engagement ceiling of 7,000 meters. Maximum range against surface targets with this ammunition is 15.5 kilometers. The gun's elevation ranges from -15 to +85 degrees, and its horizontal traverse is +/- 170 degrees at maximum, though it is usually limited by the positioning of the ship's superstructure.
HP-76/1Y
The HP-76/1Y (indicating 유도탄, Yudotan, missile or guided round) is a modified version of the HP-76/1 mount designed to fire guided ammunition. It can be easily distinguished by the large protrusion on the left cheek of the turret, which contains a target tracking and illumination radar, as well as the radar's supporting systems. The HP-76/1Y mount is otherwise identical to the HP-76/1, and it is easy to replace the latter with the former during major maintenance periods or mid-life refits.
The guided round fired by the HP-76/1Y is designated PT-76JY and also marketed under the codename Ballob, or "Talon." It is a license-produced version of the Banbhan DART projectile, but seated in a 76mm rather than 75mm sabot. It employs automatic command guidance, or ACLOS, with the mount feeding target updates to the projectile mid-flight. The control surfaces are located in the nose, and the body contains a 2.5kg warhead and proximity fuse. The entire projectile is subcaliber and fired from a sabot assembly, increasing the muzzle velocity to 1,200 meters per second, for a flight time of 5 seconds to 5 kilometers.
A small-scale mockup of the prototype turret was first unveiled at a Menghean defense expo in 2016, where the placard reported that the Ministry of National Defense was working with the Chŏnggong Design Bureau to develop an indigenous guided 76mm anti-aircraft round expected to enter service in 2020. This mockup placed the radar enclosure on the turret roof, and it was designated HP-76/1SD (sinsedae, "next-generation").
A recognizable HP-76Y turret was spotted aboard the weapon trials ship TMS-751 in 2018, at first covered by a tarp; the mount was first photographed without the tarp in 2019.
Chŏnggong reportedly encountered serious issues miniaturizing the control and guidance systems into a subcaliber 76mm shell, and opted for a full-caliber guided shell, which was impaired by a poor muzzle velocity. In 2019, Menghe signed a contract with Banbha for the import of 75mm DART projectiles, to be modified locally for the HP-76/1Y. Integration of the Banbhan projectiles with the Menghean fire-control radar required two additional years of development and testing, meaning that HJ-384 Insŏng was commissioned with only a partially operational HP-76/1Y mount: the turret could still fire unguided 76mm rounds, but the radome housing was empty, and would be completed during subsequent maintenance. HJ-389 Jinyi was the first Insŏng-class destroyer to be commissioned with a fully operational HP-76/1Y system.
Ships using the system
- Chanjok Jachido-class cruiser (after refits)
- Plan 1159 weapon trials ship
- Pyŏng'an-class destroyer (after refits)
- Yechŏn-class frigate (and subclasses)