Green Mace
| Green Mace | |
|---|---|
 Green Mace prototype at the Royal Artillery Museum, Woolwich, in 2015. | |
| Type | heavy anti-aircraft gun |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Production history | |
| Designer | RARDE, Fort Halstead |
| Designed | c. 1956 |
| Manufacturer | Vickers |
| Produced | 1956 |
| Number built | 1 |
| Specifications (Prototype) | |
| Weight | 28,000 kg (62,000 lb)[1] |
| Crew | 1 |
|
| |
| Shell | Folding Fin Discarding Sabot |
| Calibre | 102mm |
| Rate of fire | 96 rounds/minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,200 metres per second (3,900 ft/s) |
| Effective firing range | 7,600 metres (8,300 yd) |
| Feed system | twin rotating drums with 14 rounds in each |
Green Mace, also known as the QF 127/58 SBT X1, was a British heavy anti-aircraft gun of the 1950s. Although a prototype was built and survives today, it was rendered obsolete by the development of the guided surface-to-air missile and thus never entered production.
History
Green Mace, was the Rainbow Code assigned to the QF 127/58 SBT X1 during its development. The original specifications were for a 5-inch gun with water-cooled barrel, firing folding-fin discarding sabot dart projectiles,[2] two rotary magazines, each holding 14 rounds, would allow for a high rate of fire.
The gun was developed by Vickers under the direction of the Royal Armaments Research and Development Establishment at Fort Halstead.[3]
Original work was done on two other projects: Longhand and Ratefixer. Both were of smaller calibre than Green Mace but were designed to try and increase the rate of fire and calibre used.[3]
Development
A proof of concept prototype was built with a 4.2 inch (102mm) barrel, but otherwise was as intended. It was mostly automatic, and could be operated by a single person sitting in a covered control cabin on the right hand side of the vehicle. However, the enormous power and ammunition requirements for the piece resulted in it having to have two trailers in support - one for power, and one for ammunition - and a crew with a small crane in order to reload the two ammunition drums. With only 28 rounds available in the drums, and an 80-90 rounds/minute fire rate, reloading was a frequent task. It took a crew between ten and fifteen minutes to reload.[3]
With the advent of guided missiles, and the transfer of responsibility for ground based anti-aircraft defence of UK airspace from the British Army to the Royal Air Force, the project was cancelled in 1957.
Other versions
Some sources suggest that a naval version of Green Mace was planned as a new dual purpose gun for the Royal Navy's destroyers, and a twin version of the same gun intended for cruisers reached the design stage, but neither went any further, and they were cancelled outright in 1957.[4]
See also
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
- 130 mm air defense gun KS-30, early 1950s Soviet weapon
- 105mm SFAC, a French anti-aircraft gun developed in late 1940s and abandoned in 1950s
- Lvakan 4501, a Swedish 12cm anti-aircraft gun developed by Bofors in the 1950s, later changed into a naval gun, TAK120
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Green mace. |
- ↑ Crabtree, James (1994). On Air Defense. Westport: Praeger. p. 69. ISBN 9780275949396.
- ↑ Robert, Gardiner (1983). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947 - 1982 - Part I: The Western Powers. Conway Maritime Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-0851772257.
- 1 2 3 Heavy AA 102mm (ARDE) QF 127/58 SBT X1 'Green Mace' Information Card. Woolwich: The Royal Artillery Museum.
- ↑ Robert, Gardiner (1983). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947 - 1982 - Part I: The Western Powers. Conway Maritime Press. p. 130. ISBN 978-0851772257.