Munitions Empire-Chapter 1230 - 1150 naval gun roaring

This is indeed bait, or rather, an experiment!

The Tang Army modified a destroyer to test the effectiveness of a new weapon. That’s why these two destroyers were so blatantly advancing along the coast of the Mirage Country’s Ben Island.

To support this operation, the Great Tang Empire deployed over 30 fighter jets to escort the two destroyers: some hid behind the clouds, while others patrolled the skies above New Island.

In fact, these aircraft were primarily prepared to guard against suicide planes from the Mirage Country because the targets on the sea… were the subjects of this experiment.

Indeed, the Tang Army, after losing a destroyer in the New Island naval battle, came up with a countermeasure against suicide speedboats. The answer was the Oto Melara 76mm fully automatic naval gun!

Compared to the 127mm naval guns mounted on Great Tang Empire Navy destroyers, the Oto 76mm fully automatic naval gun boasts an astonishing firing rate of 120 rounds per minute. This system is entirely mechanically automated, requiring no manual loading.

Thanks to its high firing rate and the ability to integrate with radar fire-control systems, the new naval gun can hit moving targets even at night or under low-visibility conditions.

Frankly, the original design of this medium-caliber naval gun was for targeting fast, small objectives like aircraft, making it even more effective against speedboats.

On one hand, radar fire-control provided it with greater precision; on the other, the fully automated high rate of fire allowed it to fill in any gaps in coverage.

To accommodate this cutting-edge gun, the test destroyer even had its front and rear 127mm naval guns removed to give the two 76mm naval guns the best firing arcs.

At this moment, the soldiers stationed at the Mirage Country’s coastal observation posts had yet to notice anything special about the Tang Country destroyer.

They had not spotted the two rounded special turrets at the front and rear of the destroyer behind, nor had they detected the unique fire-control radar under the fore and aft masts of the ship.

The captains of the Mirage Country’s speedboats also remained unaware of their upgraded adversary. By now, they had lined up across the sea, speeding directly toward the Tang Army’s warship formation.

Due to their extreme speed, the bows of these speedboats were tilted high, slicing through the waves and sending white spray to either side.

On some of the speedboats, goblin soldiers manning machine guns were already in position, prepared to sacrifice their lives to teach these distant-arriving Tang people a harsh lesson.

"Target spotted ahead!" In the radar room of the forward Tang Army destroyer, the radar operator had already noticed a blip on the screen and loudly reported it to the captain.

Standing on the bridge, the captain looked at the helmsman and gave the order: "Slow down! Get Beiyuan-18 into position!"

The older Beiyuan-18 destroyer was chosen for this test modification since it lacked both anti-ship missiles and anti-air missiles, leaving ample internal space.

Another reason was that on the second day after the outbreak of the New Island naval battle, Beiyuan-18 happened to be patrolling near Dragon Island, a conveniently accessible location for immediate retrofitting…

Inside the bridge of Beiyuan-18, the captain was issuing the order to overtake. He intended to move to the forefront of the fleet and use the new naval guns to intercept the enemy.

If the new guns performed well, this battle would spell the end of the Mirage Country’s suicide speedboats. If they didn’t… they would just have to hope for Beiyuan-40 behind them to come to their rescue.

"Report radar status!" The captain, a bit uneasy, turned to his executive officer. After confirming the status with the weapons officer, the executive officer loudly responded, "Fire-control radar is fully operational!"

"Target is 22 kilometers away! Approaching at high speed!" The radar operator loudly confirmed the distance, ratcheting up the tension on the bridge.

"Right rudder! Adjust heading, due east… 75 degrees!" The captain raised his binoculars and issued a steering command at the same time: "Speed to 35 knots!"

"Right rudder! Due east 75 degrees! Maintain speed!" The helmsman spun the wheel, sending the agile destroyer into a swift curve, leaving an arcing white trail over the sea.

As the waves surged, the destroyer’s bow rose and fell continuously. Its speed was now enough to quickly align its broadside toward the approaching enemy.

The aft 76mm fully automatic naval gun also achieved a firing angle. Powered up, its dark barrel now pointed in the direction of the enemy.

"Aiming complete!" The weapons officer, hands clasped behind his back, reported to the captain that they were ready for combat.

On deck, sailors wearing life vests and steel helmets were already in position, operating the Bofors anti-aircraft guns and leveling their barrels at the enemy along the coastline.

Everyone was primed for action, waiting for the moment when the enemy speedboats appeared. But just as the sailors were holding their breath, the two automatic guns at the bow and stern suddenly fired.

"Boom! Boom!" The slender barrels spewed smoke and fire. Normally, Tang Country destroyers wouldn’t open fire on agile speedboats at this range.

However… the incredible firing rate of these two automatic guns was astounding! Ahead, the water erupted into plumes that formed a wall-like barrier on the sea’s surface.

Amid the water columns, a massive explosion suddenly rocked the sea, startling everyone.

"Direct hit!" The lookout atop the mast shouted excitedly. Through his binoculars, he had clearly seen one of the Mirage Army’s speedboats explode upon being struck.

The destructive power of a 76mm naval shell was evidently much greater than that of a Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun.

With a single strike, the shell directly penetrated the opposing steel plating and ignited the ammunition carried inside the speedboat.

The Mirage Army’s speedboat division had yet to grasp the gravity of the situation. They continued to approach, intent on reaching close range to execute their "attack."

Unfortunately, only a few seconds later, another speedboat was hit at a significant distance. The resulting explosion launched a massive water column, forcing nearby Mirage speedboats to scatter for safety.

"Boom! Boom-boom!" Almost without pause, the two 76mm caliber main guns on the Tang Country destroyer roared to life, spitting fire relentlessly.

Beneath the deck, the circular rotating loading system—packed with shells—kept spinning as mechanical arms fed shell after shell into the gun chambers with seamless efficiency.

The design of this naval gun, adopted by over 50 countries, was nothing short of classic. Its effectiveness was unparalleled, and that was precisely why it had been chosen for use by so many nations.

Italy, the developer of this naval gun, even fitted it on its warships wherever space allowed—testament to their fondness for this weapon.

Amid the cheers of the Tang Country Navy sailors, yet another Mirage speedboat was hit and obliterated. By this point, not a single Mirage speedboat had gotten close enough to even give the Tang Army’s Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft guns a chance to fire.

It couldn’t be helped: the distance was simply too great, and the Bofors gun crews didn’t want to waste their ammunition.

Carrying the Bofors gun’s magazines was exhausting work. Saving the loaders’ energy until their turn to fire was undoubtedly the wiser choice.

Leave everything… to the two roaring guns at the bow and stern. Their terrifying rate of fire was almost on par with the 40mm Bofors guns.

Unfortunately, the Bofors guns could only engage targets at a range of about 5 kilometers, with a maximum effective range of just 7 kilometers. At that distance, a swarm of suicide speedboats could still pose significant trouble for Tang Country destroyers.

But the Oto 76mm naval gun was different—it could effortlessly fire at targets 10 kilometers away, creating a seamless firepower network when paired with the 40mm Bofors guns.

As for the 127mm naval guns… their slower firing rate made them less effective against a multitude of small speedboats compared to the 76mm naval guns.

"This thing is terrifying!" exclaimed the captain of Beiyuan-40 on the bridge, watching the two fully automatic guns on Beiyuan-18 unleash their relentless firepower, clearly shaken.

Truth be told, his warship was still equipped with 127mm naval guns, but he wouldn’t bet on winning in a gunnery duel against Beiyuan-18 armed with the 76mm automatic guns.

The opponent’s firing rate was fearsome, and the amount of ordnance it could unleash rivaled his 127mm guns. What the captain didn’t know was that the Great Tang Group had not only developed the 76mm fully automatic naval gun but had also created a new 127mm naval gun!

However, the new guns were to be paired exclusively with newly commissioned missile destroyers. Older Beiyuan-class destroyers wouldn’t have the privilege of extensive upgrades.

"Boom! Boom!" As the Beiyuan-40 destroyer captain made his remarks, the two Oto naval guns on Beiyuan-18 continued to fire without pause.

Shells rained down on the sea, colliding with the Mirage suicide speedboats struggling to advance, igniting dazzling explosions in their wake.

Explosions echoed one after another, water columns surged skyward, and the Mirage speedboat fleet finally began to collapse. The crew piloting these boats had never been suicidal fanatics; their initial courage evaporated as their comrades’ speedboats were blasted to smithereens one after another.

"Turn around! Now!" screamed a Mirage speedboat captain, his voice hoarse. He saw no hope of mutual destruction with the enemy. In his eyes, everything he was doing now amounted to throwing life away for nothing.

Self-sacrifice alongside the enemy was one thing. Throwing away your life pointlessly was another. Those terrifying naval guns continued to bear down on them mercilessly. The shells struck with unerring precision, and he saw no hope of closing in on the enemy ship!

"Boom!" As he shouted, a shell struck the side of his speedboat. The explosives onboard caused a catastrophic detonation, obliterating the speedboat in an instant.