40 mm/70 MEL58 (40 mm)

Description

Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• Jaguar
• Köln
• Lübeck

General info

This is a fast-firing, clip-fed, high-velocity gun, capable of dealing with enemies within 2.6 km.

Available ammunition

The MEL58 can only carry two types of shells: an AP-T and a HEFI-T (Proximity Fuse). The default belt is a mix of the two. The HE belt contains three HEFI-T rounds and one AP-T, while the opposite is true of the AP belt, consisting of three AP-T rounds and one HEFI-T.

Comparison with analogues

Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns that have firepower equal to this weapon.

Usage in battles

The high rate of fire and good ammunition allows you to tackle small boats and larger ones it meets at its BR.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very fast firing 40 mm guns
• Access to proximity-fused high explosive shells

Cons:

• Overheats quickly

History

The 40mm/79 MEL58 is a German variant of the Bofors L/70. An improvement over the older Bofors L/60 for the jet age, the Bofors L/70 fired a larger cartridge at a higher muzzle velocity and rate of fire along with all of the guns being air-cooled when certain L/60 variants were water-cooled. The MEL58 first entered West German service in 1958 as the name suggests. The Bundesmarine (Federal Navy later known as the Deutsche Marine literally German Navy), had been formed just two years earlier due to international tensions from the Cold War and would use the MEL58 (a Bofors L/70 with a modernized SAK mount) first on their Fletcher-class destroyers they received from the United States. The MEL58 would later be used on their E-boat followed up, the Jaguar-Klasse, the Köln-class frigates such as the lead ship and Lubeck, and the Ensdorf, Kulmbach, and Frankenthal-class minesweepers. The Deutsche Marine and Luftwaffe (German Air Force) also used the L/70 with D21 radar in the anti-aircraft role though it has been mostly replaced by Roland Surface-to-Air Missiles after the late 1980s and the domestic Rheinmetall MLG-27 is beginning to phase out the L/70 on their minesweeper fleet. Despite gradually leaving German service, the venerable design of the Bofors L/70 means it still remains in service in production and service in multiple other nations.

Media

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See also

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• reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
• references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the weapon;
• other literature.