Italian Navy Tests New Point-Defense Gun

The test activities of the DAVIDE system have now reached the fifth firing campaign of this revolutionary system which uses the 76/62SR naval gun to fire guided munitions. These trials are held at the joint firing range at Solto di Quirra; where the offshore patrol vessel Comandante Foscari (P493), commanded by Cdr. Vitaliano Carboni, evaluated the system’s functionality.

The DAVIDE system will revolutionize the concept of naval artillery by transforming a standard 76mm gun turret into a weapon system able to shake off previously-accepted ballistic limitations to guide an intelligence projectile to its target.

The major innovation of this fifth test campaign is the sphere activity, necessary to test the guidance capabilities of the DART (Driven Ammunition Reduced Time of Flight) against surface targets.

The data obtained during these firings will allow OTO-Melara to prepare for the tests scheduled for the end of the month, when all eyes will be on the small DAVIDE and its great ambitions.

Only then will the new system demonstrate its ability to fin dits place among the various missile-based Goliaths that provide point-defence.