30 mm caliber

Ammunition in 30 mm is typically not used against personnel but rather as an anti-materiel or armor-piercing round. Rounds of this size can be effective against lightly armored vehicles as well as fortified bunkers. It is also a popular caliber for shipboard close-in weapons systems (CIWS), such as the Russian AK-630 and Dutch Goalkeeper CIWS. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation use their 30 mm weapons in a variety of vehicles, including the Su-25 attack aircraft, Mi-24 helicopter, Mi-28 attack helicopter, Ka-50 attack helicopter, and the BMP-2, BMP-3, and BTR-90 infantry fighting vehicles. The most modern anti-aircraft gun systems in use by Russia are chambered in 30 mm. The U.S. military uses 30 mm weapons in their A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft, AC-130 gunship (AC-130J Ghostrider variant), and in the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter (30×113mm). It was going to be used in the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, until the project was canceled. The United States Navy uses 30 mm weapons on the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock and on and as part of the surface warfare (SuW) package. In 2012, the Navy decided to replace the Mk 110 57 mm cannons on with the Mk 46 GWS (Gun Weapon System), a navalized mounting of the Mk44 Bushmaster chain gun. In 2022, the United States Coast Guard announced plans to install 30 mm Mk44 chain guns on newly-built Polar Security Cutters (PSCs), though existing cutters would retain their 25mm Mark 38 mounts.

30 mm weapons are used in a variety of roles. As a result, ammunition in 30 mm comes in several varieties: armor-piercing (AP), high-explosive (HE), airburst, and target practice (TP) rounds. Both AP and HE cartridges commonly possess incendiary or tracer elements, which may be noted in its designation; API and HE-T are Armor-Piercing Incendiary and High-Explosive Tracer respectively.

• Illustration — Swiss 30×173mm • Illustration — Soviet 30×165mm • Illustration — The DU penetrator of a 30×173 mm round used in the GAU-8 • Illustration — French 30×150mmB • Illustration — 30×113mmB rounds being loaded into an AH-64D Apache Longbow

• Cartridge — Weapon — Country of origin — Designer — Type — Example platforms • 30×29mmB — AGS-17 — OKB-16 — Automatic grenade launcher — BMD-3, BTR-90, BTR-D • AGS-30 — KBP Instrument Design Bureau — Automatic grenade launcher — BTR-T, GAZ-2975 Tigr, M2020 (tank) • 30×113mmB — M230 — Hughes — Chain gun — Boeing AH-64 Apache, JLTV MADIS, Oshkosh M-ATV, Stryker M-SHORAD • ADEN — Royal Small Arms Factory — Revolver cannon — English Electric Lightning, Hawker Hunter, Saab Draken, SEPECAT Jaguar • VENOM LR 30 — AEI Systems — Revolver cannon — Midgard 300 RWS, electro optic systems (EOS) R400 ROWS (prototype) • DEFA 550 series — Direction des Études et Fabrications d'Armement — Revolver cannon — Dassault Mystere, Mirage series, Étendard series, SEPECAT Jaguar, Fiat G.91, AMX International AMX • 30 M 781 — GIAT — Chain gun — Eurocopter Tiger • XM188 — General Electric — Rotary cannon — Bell AH-1 Cobra (prototype) • 30×150mmB — 30 M 791 — Nexter — Revolver cannon — Dassault Rafale • 30×155mmB — NR-30 — Nudelman-Rikhter — Short-recoil autocannon — MiG-19, MiG-21, Su-7, Su-17, J-7 • 30×165mm — GSh-30-1 — Gryazev-Shipunov — Short-recoil autocannon — Sukhoi Su-27, Sukhoi Su-30, Sukhoi Su-35, Sukhoi Su-57, Mikoyan MiG-29 • GSh-30-2 — Gryazev-Shipunov — Twin autocannon — Sukhoi Su-25, Mil Mi-24P • GSh-6-30 — Gryazev-Shipunov — Rotary cannon — MiG-27, Kortik CIWS • AK-630 — TsKIB SOO — Rotary cannon — A-213-Vympel-A CIWS • 2A42 — KBP Instrument Design Bureau — Gas-operated autocannon — BMP-2, BMD-2, BMD-3, Kurganets-25, T-15 Armata, Mil Mi-28, Kamov Ka-50, BTR-90 • 2A72 — KBP Instrument Design Bureau — Long-recoil autocannon — BMP-3 (also in BRM-3K version), BMD-4, BTR-82A, Uran-9 • 2A38 — KBP Instrument Design Bureau — Twin anti-aircraft gas-operated autocannon — 2K22 Tunguska, Pantsir-S • CRN 91 — Ordnance Factory Medak — Light naval gun — Trinkat-class patrol vessel, Kumbhir-class landing ship, Car Nicobar-class fast attack craft • Type 730/1130 — 713th Research Institute — Gatling gun — Type 052C destroyer, Type 001A aircraft carrier, LD-2000 • 30×170mm — HS.831A — Hispano-Suiza — Gas-unlocked delayed-blowback autocannon — AMX-30 DCA • KCB — Oerlikon — Autocannon — Naval weapon systems:DS30B rapid fire cannon Destroyers:Type 45 class Frigates: Corvettes, Patrol vessels: (Lithuania) Landing ship:landing ship Mine-countermeasure vessels, Support vessels, Training ship: • Naval weapon systems:Emerlec 30, a CIWS turret with 2×KCB. Destroyers:ChungBuk class Frigates: Corvettes: (before replacement), Patrol vessels: (PKM 201 variant), CPIC-X (US Navy, coastal patrol and interdiction craft - experimental), Kilkuri class Fast missile craft: (known as Laskos class, with this additional weapon for the Greek Navy), Manta class (Ecuador, weapon received after modernisation), Paek Ku class Mine-countermeasure vessels: (Nigeria) • Naval weapon systems:GCM-A Destroyers:Type 82 class, Type 42 class Frigates: Fast attack craft: (before replacement), Damrong Rachanuphat class Patrol craft:Mamba class (Kenya, after modernisation) • / South Korea — SNT Dynamics (under licence) — K30 Biho SPAAG, K808 SPAAG • HS.831L / KCB — / — Hispano-Suiza / Oerlikon — Falcon anti-aircraft system • L21A1 RARDEN — Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment/ Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield — Long-recoil autocannon — FV721 Fox, FV107 Scimitar, FV510 Warrior • 30×173mm (STANAG 4624) — KCA — Oerlikon — Revolver cannon — Saab 37 Viggen • KCE — Rheinmetall Air Defence — Revolver cannon — Rheinmetall Sea Snake turret, Skyranger 30 • GAU-8 Avenger — General Electric — Gatling gun — Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, Signaal Goalkeeper CIWS • Mk44 Bushmaster II — Alliant Techsystems — Chain gun — Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle, AS21 Redback, BAE ACV-30, Bionix II, Borsuk, Boxer Vilkas, CM-34, CV9030, Dragón VCR, ICV - Infantry combat vehicle, Freccia EVO, Hunter AFV, KTO Rosomak, LAV III(Colombia), LAV-700, M1296 Stryker Dragoon, N-WAV 8×8 IFV, Pandur II 8×8 KBVP, Patria AMV - CRO 30L, Pindad Cobra, Piranha III (Belgium, Botswana, Ireland), Piranha V (Romania), RCV - Reconnaissance combat vehicle, Sentinel II 6×6 and 8×8, VBTP-MR Guarani • Naval weapon systems:DS30M Mark 2 Aircraft carrier:NAM Atlântico Amphibious transport docks:Angthong-class, Destroyers:Type 45 class, Frigates, Littoral combat ship, Maharaja Lela class, Type 23 class Corvettes: (Argentina), Offshore patrol vessels:Hateruma class, Mamuju class, Polar Security Cutter, River class (batch II) Patrol vessels:Bintang Laut class, Hateruma class, Krabi class, Leamsing class, Mamuju class, Pari class, Pulau Nipah class, Swiftships, Tanjung Datu class, patrol boat, T.994 class Fast-attack craft:Clurit class, Shaldag Mk.V class Mine-countermeasure vessels:Ladya class Support vessels: Research vessels:Pollux class • Lockheed AC-130J, • MK 30 — Rheinmetall — Automatic cannon — ASCOD, Boxer CRV, Boxer RadSPz (PuBo), Lynx KF41, Piranha III (Spanish Marines), SPz Puma, 30mm/82 Compact • EMAK 30 — Denel Land Systems — Linkless cam gun — Badger • Maadi Griffin — Robert Stewart — Prototype anti-materiel rifle — Maadi Griffin • 30mm X-GUN — Leonardo — Automatic Cannon • Wotan 30 — Rheinmetall — Automatic cannon — Lynx KF41 • GTS-30/N — ZŤS – ŠPECIÁL — Gas-operated autocannon — BOV 8x8 Vydra • GUARDIAN L-HIIT — Escribano — RWS • GUARDIAN 30 — Escribano — RWS — Dragon • SENTINEL 30 — Escribano — RWS — Spanish Navy Peruvian Navy Royal Thai Navy • 30×210mmB — NN-30 — Tulamashzavod — Twin revolver cannon — AK-230 light naval gun/CIWS • 30×210mm — vz.53/59 — Czechoslovakia — Praga Hostivař — Twin anti-aircraft autocannon — M53/59 Praga • 30×250mm caseless — RMK30 — Mauser — Recoilless revolver cannon — Wiesel AWC (experimental), Eurocopter Tiger UH (experimental)

• Weapon — Country of origin — Designer — Cartridge — Type — Example platforms • MK 108 — Nazi Germany — Rheinmetall-Borsig — 30×90mmRB — Autocannon — Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6, Messerschmitt Bf 110 G-2, Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8/R2, Messerschmitt Me 262 • Type 2 — Japanese Empire — Dai-Nippon Weapons Co., Ltd. — 30×92mmRB — Blowback autocannon — Mitsubishi J2M (prototype) • Ho-155 — Japanese Empire — Nagoya Arsenal — 30×114mm — Autocannon — Nakajima Ki-84-I Hei, Kawasaki Ki-102c Hei • Type 5 — Japanese Empire — Nihon Tokushuko — 30×122mm — Autocannon — Yokosuka P1Y, Kyushu J7W, Mitsubishi J2M (planned) • NR-30 — Soviet Union — A.E. Nudelman and A.A. Rikhter — 30×155mmB — Autocannon — MiG-19, MiG-21, Sukhoi Su-7, Sukhoi Su-17 • MK 101 — Nazi Germany — Rheinmetall-Borsig — 30×184mmB — Autocannon — Henschel Hs 129, Heinkel He 177A-1/U2 (experimental) • MK 103 — Nazi Germany — Rheinmetall-Borsig — Electrically primed autocannon — Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Flakpanzer IV Kugelblitz • MK 303 — Nazi Germany — Krieghoff — 30×210mm — Anti-aircraft autocannon — Type XXI submarine