Naval Systems

MK 46 Mod 2 30mm GWS

Also known as
  • Mk 46 Mod 2 30mm Gun Weapon System
  • MK 46 30mm GWS
  • MK 46 Mod 2 GWS
  • Mark 46 Mod 2 Gun Weapon System
  • Mark 46 GWS

The MK 46 Mod 2 30mm GWS is a remotely operated U.S. Navy shipboard gun system built around the Mk 44 Mod 2 30 mm chain cannon. Navy and General Dynamics sources place the mount on LPD-17, DDG-1000, and Littoral Combat Ship applications, where its sensors, dual-feed magazine, and remote console support close-range defense against small surface craft and slow, low-flying aircraft.

MK 46 Mod 2 30mm GWS, 30 mm remote gun system, Naval Systems
Image source: USS Cooperstown conducts live-fire exercise
Profile / Specs

Specifications

Caliber
30 mm
Cannon
Mk 44 Mod 2 single-barrel, open-bolt, dual-feed, electrically powered chain cannon
Ammunition family
30x173 mm Bushmaster ammunition context
Magazine capacity
400 rounds, dual feed with 200 rounds per side
Rate of fire
200 rounds per minute
Fire modes
Single round, five-round burst, or fully automatic
Maximum effective range
4,400 yards for full-caliber ammunition; extendable with sub-caliber munitions
Fire control
Forward-looking infrared sensor, low-light television camera, and laser rangefinder feeding closed-loop tracking
Operation
Local at the gun mount or remote from ship control spaces
Documented platforms
LPD-17 class, DDG-1000 class, and LCS class, two mounts per ship
Gun And Fire Control

The MK 46 Mod 2 combines a Mk 44 Mod 2 chain cannon, turret sensors, and remote operator controls into a shipboard mount for short-range self-defense.

Operator stations

The Navy says the gun can be fired locally at the mount or remotely from ship control spaces, with LPD and DDG-1000 classes using the Combat Information Center and LCS using the Mission Control Center.

Fire-control inputs

FLIR, low-light television, and a laser rangefinder feed a closed-loop tracking system for the remote gun mount.

Fire modes

The Navy lists single-round, five-round burst, and fully automatic modes, with a stated 200-round-per-minute rate of fire.

Mod 2 additions

The Mod 2 standard adds open architecture, fault-isolation software, and an embedded trainer on LPD-17 and DDG-1000 class installations.

Sources: MK 46 - 30 mm Gun Weapon System; General Dynamics MK46 production award.

Variants

The Navy fact file separates the original Mark 46 Mod 1 deployment from the Mod 2 standard, which added open architecture, fault-isolation software, and an embedded trainer for selected ship classes.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Mark 46 Mod 1Initial shipboard gun-system standard

The Navy lists 2005 as the deployment date for Mark 46 Mod 1 before describing Mod 2 as the later open-architecture standard.

Sources: MK 46 - 30 mm Gun Weapon System

Firing Ships

The MK 46 Mod 2 is documented in shipboard fits aboard U.S. Navy vessels; linked platform entries are limited to public catalog records.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship, Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, Naval SystemsFreedom-class Littoral Combat ShipLittoral combat ship

The Navy lists the MK 46 Mod 2 fit for LCS-class ships with two mounts per ship, USS Sioux City (LCS-11) is listed with two MK 46 Mod 2 mounts in its armament, and DVIDS imagery documents a MK 46 Mod 2 aboard the Freedom-variant USS Cooperstown (LCS 23).

Sources: MK 46 - 30 mm Gun Weapon System, USS Cooperstown conducts live-fire exercise, USS Sioux City historical evaluation

Ammunition Fired

The MK 46 Mod 2 uses the Mk 44 Mod 2 cannon, placing it in the 30x173 mm Bushmaster ammunition ecosystem represented by the catalog's ammunition-family page.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
30 x 173mm suite of ammunition, 30 mm ammunition family, Munitions30 x 173mm suite of ammunition30 mm ammunition family

The Navy identifies the MK 46 Mod 2 as a Mk 44 Mod 2 30 mm gun system, while Northrop Grumman describes the Mk44 Bushmaster as a ground and naval cannon firing 30x173 mm ammunition.

Sources: MK 46 - 30 mm Gun Weapon System, 30x173mm Bushmaster Chain Guns

Ship Integration

The Navy identifies the Mark 46 Mod 2 as a two-mount shipboard fit across three major U.S. surface-ship contexts, but this support page links only the platform class already represented by a public catalog record.

LPD-17 class

The Navy fact file says the system is permanently installed aboard LPD-17 class ships, with two mounts per ship; DVIDS video and imagery document San Antonio-class ships firing MK-46 guns during exercises.

LCS class

The Navy describes the MK 46 as part of the Surface Warfare mission module for Littoral Combat Ships, and the catalog links the published Freedom-class LCS record through USS Sioux City's documented armament list.

DDG-1000 class

USNI reported NAVSEA's decision to replace the planned 57 mm close-in guns on DDG-1000 with MK 46 gun systems, and DVIDS later documented USS Zumwalt's first structural test fire.

Sources: MK 46 - 30 mm Gun Weapon System; USS Sioux City historical evaluation; Navy Swaps Out Anti-Swarm Boat Guns on DDG-1000s; USS Zumwalt Completes First Live Fire Test; Green Bay fires MK-46 30mm gun.

Timeline

MK 46 Mod 2 30mm GWS Key Events

  1. Mark 46 Mod 1 deployed

    The U.S. Navy fact file lists 2005 as the deployment date for the Mark 46 Mod 1 gun weapon system.

    Sources: MK 46 - 30 mm Gun Weapon System

  2. General Dynamics production award announced

    General Dynamics announced a $26.2 million NAVSEA award for MK46 Mod 2 Gun Weapon Systems for Littoral Combat Ship and Zumwalt-class use, noting 38 MK46 systems had already been delivered since 2005.

    Sources: General Dynamics MK46 production award

  3. USS Green Bay live-fire video released

    DVIDS video documented USS Green Bay (LPD 20), a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, firing a MK-46 30mm gun during an East China Sea live-fire exercise.

    Sources: Green Bay fires MK-46 30mm gun

  4. USS Zumwalt structural test fire

    DVIDS reported that USS Zumwalt executed a structural test fire of the Mark 46 Mod 2 GWS at the Point Mugu sea test range.

    Sources: USS Zumwalt Completes First Live Fire Test

Media

MK 46 Mod 2 30mm GWS Images

MK 46 Mod 2 30mm GWS, 30 mm remote gun system, Naval Systems - view 1
Source: USS Cooperstown conducts live-fire exercise
MK 46 Mod 2 30mm GWS, 30 mm remote gun system, Naval Systems - view 2
Source: USS Cooperstown conducts live-fire exercise
Related Weapon Systems
MK 110 57 mm Gun, 57 mm naval gun, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsMK 110 57 mm Gun57 mm naval gunThe MK 110 57 mm Gun is the U.S. designation for BAE Systems' Bofors 57 Mk3 naval gun, a fully automatic 57 mm / 70-caliber mount assembled in Louisville, Kentucky for U.S. service. U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and BAE Systems sources place the gun on Navy Littoral Combat Ships, including both Freedom and Independence variants, and on Coast Guard National Security Cutters; BAE also describes immediate ammunition-type switching and six-mode programmable 57 mm Mk 295 Mod 0 / Bofors 3P ammunition for air, surface, and shore targets.
20mm Mk 15 Phalanx, Shipboard close-in weapon system, Naval SystemsNaval Systems20mm Mk 15 PhalanxShipboard close-in weapon systemThe 20mm Mk 15 Phalanx is a U.S.-origin shipboard close-in weapon system built around an M61A1 Gatling gun, self-contained search and track radar, and automated fire-control functions. Navy and manufacturer sources describe it as the U.S. Navy's inner-layer defense against anti-ship missiles, aircraft, unmanned aircraft, and small surface threats; direct combat-use evidence includes USS Jarrett's Gulf War Phalanx firing during the Iraqi Silkworm engagement near USS Missouri and USS Gravely's Red Sea interception of a Houthi anti-ship missile.

Sources

MK 46 - 30 mm Gun Weapon SystemPublisher: U.S. Navy | Note: Supports the MK 46 Mod 2 name, remote/local operation, Mk 44 Mod 2 cannon, magazine capacity, range, rate of fire, fire modes, sensor suite, Mod 1 deployment date, Mod 2 changes, and LPD-17/DDG-1000/LCS platform context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04General Dynamics MK46 production awardPublisher: General Dynamics | Note: Supports General Dynamics Land Systems' MK46 Mod 2 production role, the 2015 NAVSEA award, delivery history since 2005, and LCS/Zumwalt/LPD-17 shipboard role framing. | Accessed: 2026-07-04USS Sioux City historical evaluationPublisher: NAVSEA | Note: Supports the documented fit of two MK 46 Mod 2 30mm GWS mounts aboard USS Sioux City. | Accessed: 2026-07-0430x173mm Bushmaster Chain GunsPublisher: Northrop Grumman | Note: Supports the Mk44 Bushmaster cannon's ground and naval platform use, 30x173 mm ammunition context, and Mk310 programmable airburst compatibility background. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Navy Swaps Out Anti-Swarm Boat Guns on DDG-1000sPublisher: USNI News | Note: Supports NAVSEA's DDG-1000 MK 46 gun-system selection context, including the shift from planned 57 mm close-in guns to two MK 46 systems. | Accessed: 2026-07-04USS Zumwalt Completes First Live Fire TestPublisher: DVIDS | Note: Supports the May 16, 2020 USS Zumwalt structural test fire of the Mark 46 Mod 2 GWS and confirms LPD-17 and LCS class installation context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Green Bay fires MK-46 30mm gunPublisher: DVIDS | Note: Supports public-domain video provenance and documents USS Green Bay (LPD 20) firing a MK-46 30mm gun during a 2016 live-fire exercise. | Accessed: 2026-07-04USS Cooperstown conducts live-fire exercisePublisher: DVIDS | Note: Supports image provenance for the MK 46 gun system shown in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-07-04USS San Diego fires MK-46 30mm gunPublisher: DVIDS | Note: Supports image provenance for a second MK 46 gun-system view and documents San Antonio-class LPD exercise use. | Accessed: 2026-07-04MK-46 30mm Gun Shoot Aboard USS SomersetPublisher: DVIDS | Note: Supports image provenance for a third MK 46 gun-system view. | Accessed: 2026-07-04