Should future Royal Navy warships carry multiple automated medium-caliber guns?
Short answerMore than one mount would provide fire volume, redundancy and ammunition flexibility, provided the ship could also accommodate its missile battery and aviation facilities.
NotesA twin mount increases fire volume, but a shared failure can disable both barrels. A second independent mount would preserve gun capability after such a casualty and provide four barrels when everything is working. Different ammunition could be kept ready, including the proposed combination of antiaircraft and antisubmarine shells. Gun ammunition can also be restocked at sea, supporting repeated fire missions. The design problem is fitting these mounts around a large VLS battery without an excessively long forecastle, while an aft mounting would also have to accommodate the helicopter hangar.