QF 127/58 SBT X1 “GREEN MACE” (experimental)

In the late 1940s, the Royal Armaments Research and Development Establishment (RARDE) at Fort Halstead, choose Vickers for the development of a high-performance anti-aircraft gun capable of shooting down the new generation of jets aircraft. The gun was designated as “QF 127/58 SBT X1 Green Mace“. Requirements consisted in a 127mm caliber high firing rate gun cooled by water when firing. In addition, the use of folding-fin discarding sabot dart projectiles ammunition, and two automatic loaders with 14 shells each were requested. The gun needed to be powered by an external electric generator. Also needed to have an ammunition trailer along with the servers equipped with a crane for reloading. Finally, the system must have a radar and an independent ballistic calculator. In 1954, Vickers presented a prototype of smaller caliber (102mm) as a prelude to the 127mm gun. This “light” version resulted in a weight of 28 tons!, in addition to having to rely on the support vehicles previously detailed for its operation. Although tests were moderately satisfactory, the project was abandoned in 1957 when the highest effectiveness of the missiles in high altitude aerial defense was verified.

QF 127/58 SBT X1 GREEN MACE gallery and more info