Master SM-350-034 USS Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate - aerials & OTO-Melara 76mm/62 gun

The OTO Melara caliber 76 mm is an Italian automatic naval cannon from the Cold War and modern times. Its first prototypes appeared in the early 1960s, and the weapon entered service shortly after. It is still there! The weight of the entire artillery set without ammunition is 7.5 tons, and the initial velocity of the bullet fired from this weapon is up to 915 m / s. The theoretical rate of fire in the compact version is up to 85 rounds per minute. The effective range of a demolition projectile is 16 kilometers. The gun was developed by the Italian arms concern OTO Melara with the domestic market in mind, but above all also the foreign one. The gun puts emphasis on its highest possible rate of fire, precision of the shot and low weight of the whole set. Interestingly, these seemingly contradictory goals were largely achieved, and the 76 mm OTO Melara gun turned out to be a great success for its manufacturer. It was or is still used in about 60 navies around the world and was used on such ships as the Italian destroyers Audace, the American frigates Olivier Hazard Perry or the Japanese destroyers Hatsuyuki. It is worth adding that the gun was gradually modernized and new variants appeared, such as the Super Rapido, with the rate of fire increased to 120 rounds per minute!