The Saudi company SAMI
announced at the #International_Defense_Exhibition 2026 the signing of an agreement with the German company RHEINMETALL
to manufacture the Oerlikon KBA 25mm medium cannon. The deal is considered one of the best deals during the exhibition due to the specifications of the cannon, which is superior to the American M242 Bushmaster cannon found in the Bradley vehicle.
One of the features of the Oerlikon KBA 25mm automatic cannon
1- The Oerlikon KBA cannon uses a caliber of 25x137mm APFSDS-T, which has a greater armor penetration ability than its famous counterpart from Bushmaster M242.
2- The cannon feeding system (Dual Feed Mechanism) consists of two inputs from the right and left. The cannon can be loaded with two types of ammunition, such as armor-piercing ammunition and anti-aircraft ammunition at the same time, and switching between the two ammunition with the push of a button.
3- The rate of fire here is a huge difference between the Oerlikon KBA cannon and the Bushmaster M242 cannon, as the KBA can shoot 600 RPM and the M242 can shoot 200 RPM. This is thanks to the gas-based firing system, so that there is no electrical system that slows down the feeding process.
4- The Bushmaster gun system relies on electricity to move its feeding system. That is, when the electrical power is cut off, shooting is cut off. This is in contrast to the Oerlikon KBA system, a mechanical system that relies on the gas released from the bullet’s energy in order to move the cannon parts.
To have a medium cannon that is manufactured locally and even the possibility of selling it to countries. This gives the ability to raise your readiness as well as reduce costs, whether manufacturing or operational, and the ability to convert all of our medium cannons to this system. An example of my words is the possibility of converting a Bradley cannon from Bushmaster that is maintained in the United States of America to a locally manufactured Oerlikon KBA cannon
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