Compact, Low-Cost Rapid Deployment Gun Mount for Space-Constrained Locations

DDG 1000 mooring stations are multifunctional areas with conflicting demands for space and manning. In addition to normal mooring station needs, the ship’s design includes requirements for stowage, temporary but rapid deployment, and automated or manual operation of weapons, sensors and other electronics from the same areas used for cables and other anchorage hardware. This dual-use space requires novel weapons mounts meeting strength, stiffness, cost, weight, safety and durability requirements of fixed mounts, while stowing out of the way with the smallest possible size and interference when not used. Mount design must consider congested floors, require minimal modification to existing ship structures, and not introduce static or dynamic loads beyond the capability of existing ship structure. Most importantly, the new mount must go from stowed to deployed/operational position quickly and reliably, either automatically or with manual override. In Phase I KaZaK will work with system primes to finalize mooring station mount requirements, then refine/develop proposed mount design innovations through analysis and scaled prototypes. Both metal and novel composite materials will be evaluated, with design trades considering deployment speed, reliability, stiffness, durability and cost. Full scale prototype fabrication, assembly and testing of a full mount is anticipated in Phase II.