Although the Z6 cannon is expected to enter service next year the Z5 cannon is likely to remain on a majority of the fleet for a few years. The DDS have announced an improvement programme for the cannon which will be rolled out in a number of "increments". Increment 1 will be rolled out during the rest of the year and will be carried out on ships as they receive scheduled refits.
Z5 Increment 1 includes software improvements to the energy management system and an improved software beam optimiser. This will improve the quality of the beam and the rate of fire. Accuracy will also be improved by better filtering and enhancement of target data using a new targeting front end. The improvements will be applicable to the whole family of Z5 cannons including the Z5m, Z5g and Z5t.
