Why don't modern destroyers have a twin gun in a single turret like WW2 destroyers?

Some do.

To be fair, there isn’t a lot of twin mount naval artillery on the market these days, however they do still exist.

Russia is by a very wide margin, the single most prolific user of twin mounted guns currently.

The largest such weapon Russia currently fields is the AK-130, a twin barreled 130mm gun system.

(AK-130)

The system has seen service aboard both cruisers and destroyers. With both barrels working, the gun can put a maximum of 80 rounds per minute down range, which is stupid fast for a weapon of this caliber. The closest foreign design in terms of both caliber and rate of fire is the Otobreda 127/54, effectively a big brother of the famous Oto Melara 76mm. But the Otobreda only puts a maximum of 40 rounds per minute down range.

Russia also for a long time employed the AK-726 system, another double barrel turret of 76.2mm caliber. These were used rarely on destroyers, with most of their service career being with frigates.

(AK-726)

Why are they not more popular? You need to be really interested in either gun based artillery, or looking for a really simple solution for increasing the rate of fire of an existing system to justify the weight of the extra barrel and loading assembly. The gun you get is absolutely fantastic, but there is a price to be paid.

Source: Connor Dalton (Quora)

Previous Post Next Post