BAE Systems recently unveiled its Sea Tridon family of 40mm naval guns,
which include a containerised version for self-protection aboard commercial
vessels on a temporary or mission-specific basis. The containerised variant is being offered
for military, government, and civilian vessels operating in high-risk areas.
BAE Systems said the modular construction will allow rapid installation with
minimal modification to the host vessel and limited integration work. Listed features include below-deck loading,
increased ammunition capacity, flexible command-and-control arrangements, and
optional surveillance radar integration.
The baseline Sea Tridon pairs a Bofors Mk4 40mm gun with an
electro-optical fire control system. This lets the weapon system identify
targets, follow their movement, and engage them without external sensors. The gun system also has gyrostabilisation
and a 30-round ready-use magazine.
BAE Systems has described it as a maritime adaptation of a land-based
gun concept, with drones, missiles and fast attack craft among its intended
targets. A close-in weapon system
adds a surveillance radar and a dedicated radar tracker for all-weather
tracking. Both are integrated into a single mount with the gun. The system is
intended to defend against missiles and drones, as well as additional threats
moving at high speed. All four
configurations fire pre-fragmented, programmable, and proximity-fused
ammunition. Each round can be set to one of six fuze modes immediately before
firing. Stefan Lofstrom, BAE’s
Director of Marketing and Sales, clarified that the company has no launch
customer yet for the Sea Tridon family but there have been, “advanced
discussions with different customers."
Lofstrom also said BAE Systems
was in discussions with several navies about fitting the guns to unmanned
vessels intended to remain at sea for weeks without human support.