The AK-230 is a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

fully automatic naval twin 30 mm

gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...

. Its primary function is anti-aircraft. It is mounted in an enclosed automatic turret and directed by

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

. AK-230 is widely used, mounted on big warships as well as small craft. About 1450 guns were produced in the USSR, and about 300 were produced in China as the Type 69. It was succeeded by the more powerful

AK-630 The AK-630 is a Soviet and Russian fully automatic naval, rotary cannon, close-in weapon system. The "630" designation refers to the weapon's six gun barrels and their 30 mm caliber. The system is mounted in an enclosed automatic turret and dir ...

from the mid-to-late 1970s.

Development and service

Development of the weapon began during the 1950s, with the first trial weapon fitted to the ''Osa'' class of fast attack missile boats and ''Shershen'' class torpedo boats. The weapon was officially accepted into service in 1969. Its service life was relatively short, due to the fielding of the

system in the mid-1970s, which uses the same mountings and can be controlled by the same fire control systems. While its 30×210 mm round was much more powerful than the AK-630's 30×165 mm one, having the

muzzle velocity Muzzle velocity is the speed of a projectile (bullet, pellet, slug, ball/shots or shell) with respect to the muzzle at the moment it leaves the end of a gun's barrel (i.e. the muzzle). Firearm muzzle velocities range from approximately to i ...

of 1050 m/s (the same as with 30×173 mm

GAU-8 The General Electric GAU-8/A Avenger is a 30 mm hydraulically driven seven-barrel Gatling-style autocannon that is primarily mounted in the United States Air Force's Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. Designed to destroy a wide variety of g ...

's cartridge), the moderately powered AK-630's round allowed for much higher rates of fire, especially in a Gatling-type weapon, which was considered more advantageous for the anti-aircraft system.

Description

The weapon consists of two stabilized NN-30 30 mm water-cooled four chamber

revolver cannon A revolver cannon is a type of autocannon, commonly used as an aircraft gun. It uses a cylinder with multiple chambers, like those of a revolver handgun, to speed up the loading-firing-ejection cycle. Some examples are also power-driven, to fur ...

s, which are mounted inside a riveted steel turret. The gun mechanism is

gas operated Gas-operation is a system of operation used to provide energy to operate locked breech, autoloading firearms. In gas-operation, a portion of high-pressure gas from the cartridge being fired is used to power a mechanism to dispose of the spent ...

. The guns each weigh 155 kg and have barrels 1930 mm long, and a total length of 2670 mm. The barrels are rifled with 12 grooves. The guns each have a rate of fire of 1,000 round per minute; they are fed by independent 500-round belts of ammunition. The rounds are electrically fired; propellent gases are used to eject the spent shells and belt links into a space between the magazine and the hull. Ballistic maximum range for the weapon is about 6.7 km, but realistic ranges for engaging air targets are quoted as between 2.5 and 4 km. The weapon is remote-directed, typically by a fire-control system linked to either a ''Drum Tilt'' or ''Muff Cobb'' radar systems.

Ammunition

The AK-230 fires specially developed 30x210B 30 mm ammunition that is electrically primed. Two rounds were developed: a high-explosive round with an impact fuze, and an armour-piercing round. The Chinese Type 69 fires only a locally produced version of the high-explosive round. Ammunition is also produced in Romania and

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

Specifications

* Calibre: 30 mm * Traverse: +180 to -180 degrees at 35 degree/s * Elevation: -12 to +87 degrees at 50 degree/s * Mounting weight: 1857 kg to 1905 kg * Rate of fire: 2,000 rpm (system) * Gun Weight: 343.9 lbs. (156 kg) * Gun Length oa: 84.25 in (2.140 m) * Bore Length: 74.69 in (1.897 m) * Rifling Length: 71.06 in (1.805 m) * Grooves: 12 * Chamber Volume: 13.49 in3 (0.221 dm3) * Rate Of Fire: over 1,000 rounds per minute cyclic

Variants

* AK-230 ''A type'' - For ships with 220 V DC power systems. * AK-230 ''B type'' - For ships with 380 V AC power systems. * AK-230M - Less magnetized version for

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

s (380 V AC). * Type 69 - Chinese upgraded version, total weight 3,600 kg. Shells are ejected outside of the turret. a faster 50 degree/second traverse.

References

General references

* ''Jane's Naval Weapon Systems Issue Thirty Three''
Navy Weapons.com
*{{cite book , last = Koll , first = Christian , author-link = , title = Soviet Cannon - A Comprehensive Study of Soviet Arms and Ammunition in Calibres 12.7mm to 57mm , publisher = Koll , year = 2009 , location = Austria , url = http://www.russianammo.org , doi = , isbn = 978-3-200-01445-9 , page = 323 Naval anti-aircraft guns Autocannons of the Soviet Union Close-in weapon systems 30 mm artillery Cold War artillery of the Soviet Union Anti-aircraft guns of the Soviet Union Military equipment introduced in the 1960s