4.5" Anti-Aircraft Gun Print
Written by David Boyd   
Thursday, 01 January 2009 14:57

The 4.5" Anti-Aircraft Gun

                4.5    4.5 inch Anti-Aircraft Gun

The 4.5" anti-aircraft gun was an adoption of the 4.5" Naval gun, the naval gun was chosen as there was there was no prospect of the 4.7" being developed and put into production soon and as these guns were planned to be placed near naval bases ammunition supplies would be assured and so in 1938 the 4.5" anti-aircraft gun was approved for land service. Some guns were fitted with a mild steel shield and some guns were placed at the coast to be used in a dual anti-aircraft / coastal defence role. By 1944 the guns were being replaced by the 5.25" gun but the weapons were not declared obsolete until 1951.

4.5" Anti-Aircraft gun data

Weight of gun/breech  6,180lb
Total length 211.75"
Length of bore 45 cal
Rifling 32, 1/25
Elevation 0 - +80 degrees
Traverse 360 degrees
Weight in action 33,040lb
Rate of fire 8rpm

4.5" Anti-Aircraft gun ammunition data

HE Shell weight 58lb
Muzzle velocity 2,400fps
Max horizontal range 22,800 yards
Max ceiling 44,000 feet

Production of the 4.5" Anti-Aircraft Gun by year  

  Pre-War Sep-Oct 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 (May)
Guns 185 116 141 56 2 - - -
Mountings 156 115 182 21 - - - -
 Platforms - - 14 4 1 - - -

Sources - British & American Artillery of WWII, AVIA 22 456 - 514
 
Comments (1)
4.5in AA guns
1 Monday, 05 July 2010 01:50
Allan Long
I was in 81st HAA Regt RA at Fenham Barracks Newcastle upon Tyne in 1953-54, we still had these guns` at Fenham Barracks and at the regimental gunsites` at Willington Square Wallsend, and Seaburn south of Sunderland. 81st HAA was disbanded in 1954 when the UK AA Command was disbanded.
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