Polish Gepard 2.0: PIT Radmor's new OSU‑35K cannon impresses at MSPO
During the MSPO 2024 fair, the company PIT Radmor accomplished something that a year ago was merely a small model. It can be said that it's the Polish Gepard 2.0. Here’s what it can do.
At the PIT-RADWAR stand, a demonstrator of the land variant of the OSU-35K cannon mounted on a Jelcz truck chassis was presented. As we learned, this is just a demonstrator for the Polish armed forces. If they express interest, the final design might be quite different.
Plans have already been made to install this weapon system on the KTO Rosomak chassis, but a larger platform would be preferred. Meanwhile, the photos below show the maritime OSU-35K turret, only in green paint.
Sa-35 - The weapon the land forces are missing
Currently, the role of high-level CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) in the Polish army is fulfilled by Pilica sets, which are deeply modernized ZU-23-2 23 mm calibre cannons with a range of at most 3 km when using the latest ammunition.
Meanwhile, the OSU-35 system, based on the Oerlikon KDA automatic cannon acquired in the 1990s for the practically failed PZA Loara program, allows for targeting at distances of up to 5.5 km. The Polish system uses two types of ammunition produced by the Mesko company. The first is a sub-calibre with a fragmenting core (FAPDS-T), and the second is the programmable SAP-35, which showers the target with tungsten balls and fragments. There is also the training TP-T, simulating the operation of real ammunition.
Each shell is programmed at the moment it leaves the barrel to explode after a certain time calculated based on the muzzle velocity of the shell and the distance to the target. This way, it explodes a few metres in front of the flying object, creating a wall of tungsten fragments. These are formed from the shell's casing and the charge of 500 tungsten rods surrounding the explosive. For this reason, a salvo of a few shells, each costing probably a few thousand dollars, is sufficient to take down a target.
The used cannon fires 550 rounds per minute and can target objects flying at altitudes up to 3.5 km. It is fed from two ammunition magazines placed on the sides of the turret, each holding 100 rounds. However, a PIT Radmor representative told us that a feeder can ultimately fit 120-round ammunition belts.
Moreover, the final version may have a more capacious ammunition magazine if the army has such requirements, as structurally, it will not be a problem. The turret itself weighs 3,300 kg, achieved through the extensive use of carbon fibre elements using prepreg technology.
The process involves using ready-made elements soaked in resin and stored at subzero temperatures until final assembly. After assembly, the elements are combined and placed in a special machine, where the whole is subjected to high temperature and pressure.
Interestingly, the turret itself was made of carbon fibre using prepreg technology. This technology involves using ready-made elements soaked in resin and stored at subzero temperatures until final assembly. The elements are then placed into a special machine and subjected to high temperature and pressure.
Composites' advantage over metal is a lower radar and thermal signature, making the system easier to conceal. An optoelectronic head with a camera, day and thermal vision, and a laser rangefinder or radar makes targeting the cannon possible.
