South African defence company Denel Land Systems (DLS), part of the State-owned Denel group, publicly unveilled two new products at the 2013 Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) exhibition at the Excel Centre, in London, recently. The new products are the M10 60 mm breech-loading mortar and the GI-30 30 mm ‘CamGun’ cannon. “We have chosen DSEI to launch these systems internationally because it is the world’s largest fully integrated defence expo and attractsindustry leaders, decision- makers and analysts from across the globe,” explains Denel group CEO Riaz Saloojee in a statement to the media.

DLS regards the mortar and cannon as world leaders in their areas and affirms that both have features that are unique. Both new weapons have been developed in parallel with DLS’s new Badger infantry combat vehicle (ICV). This is a South African devel- opment of the Finnish Patria armoured modular vehicle, modified to meet South African requirements and fitted with a DLS-developed turret.

The M10 can be mounted on most standard turrets but it is so compact and its recoil is so low (54 kN) that it can be mounted on light unarmoured vehicles and even on boats. It has an elevation range of – 5˚ to +70 ˚, allowing it to be used in direct fire as well as the more normal indirect fire roles. It has a sustained rate of fire of six rounds per minute, or it can fire eight rounds a minute with one minute intervals between bursts for up to 250 bombs. At sea level, it has a maximum range of 6 000 m, which, DLS states, makes it the world leader in its class. The company also affirms that the M10 will be “an ideal weapon system for peace support operations and the changing nature of modern conflict in urban or other close environments”.

“We are confident that the GI-30 will impress and excite the industry and visitors to DSEI,” opines Saloojee. “It was developed as part of our contract to deliver a world leading infantry combat vehicle for the South African Army. It will be the main weapon system on the South African Badger ICV but can easily be fitted onto other turrets on the market.”

DLS describes the weapon as “an externally driven electromechanical cannon, utilising a drum-cam to cycle the breech to chamber rounds and extract spent cartridges – this reduces gases in the confines of a turret and improves the controlled firing rate”

It can fire up to 100 rounds a minute, but can also be used in a single shot ‘sniper’ mode with a closed breech. As, in this mode, no movement takes place before the round is fired, the result is greater accuracy. The cannon has an effective range of up to 4 000 m. The GI-30 fires linkless 30 mm × 173 mm ammunition of three different types – the semi-armour-piercing high-explosive incendiary, the armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot and the target practice type. The ammunition supply within the turret replenishes the gun, which can use ammunition produced by DLS sister company Denel PMP or by European manufacturers Nammo and Oerlikon.