View source for NS-23 (23 mm)

{{About
| about = Soviet autocannon '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = the other version
| link = NS-23K (23 mm)
}}
== Description ==
<!-- ''Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.'' -->
The NS-23 is a 23 mm autocannon which can be found on some Russian props and jets.

=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon ===
<!-- ''List out vehicles that are equipped with the weapon.'' -->

{{Navigation-Start|Vehicles equipped with this weapon}}

{{Navigation-First-Line|'''Fighters'''}}{{Specs-Link|la-9}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|la-9_china}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|la-11}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|la-11_china}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|yak-9p}}&nbsp;(Modification){{-}}{{Specs-Link|yak-9p_hungary}}&nbsp;(Modification){{-}}{{Specs-Link|yak-9ut}}

{{Navigation-Line|'''Jet fighters'''}}{{Specs-Link|mig-9}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|mig-9_china}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|mig-15_ns23}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|su-9}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|su-11}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|yak-15}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|yak-17}}

{{Navigation-Line|'''Strike aircraft'''}}{{Specs-Link|il-10_1946}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|il-10_1946_china}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|il-10_1946_hungary}}{{-}}{{Specs-Link|tu-1}}

{{Navigation-End}}

== General info ==
''Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.''

=== Available ammunition ===
<!-- ''Describe the shells that are available for the weapon and their features and purpose. If it concerns autocannons or machine guns, write about different ammo belts and what is inside (which types of shells).'' -->

* '''Default:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}
* '''Armoured targets:''' {{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}
* '''Air targets:''' {{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|FI-T|Fragmentation incendiary tracer}}{{-}}{{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}
* '''Stealth:''' {{Annotation|AP-I|Armour-piercing incendiary}}

It's recommended to use Air targets belt as the FI-T shells are far more effective against planes than the AP-I shells, although if one hasn't researched the "Offensive 23 mm" modification yet, the default belt will usually get the job done just fine. The Armoured targets belt or Stealth belt are well suited for top-down approaches on tanks because of the 29 mm penetration on the AP-I shells, which makes it possible to penetrate most tanks' engine decks from a top-down approach. Bear in mind that the AP-I shells doesn't have any tracer elements so it can be tricky to hit sometimes.

{{:{{PAGENAME}}/Ammunition|FI-T, AP-I}}

=== Comparison with analogues ===
<!-- ''Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns that have firepower equal to this weapon.'' -->
The 23 mm shells weigh approximately 200 g each compared to the 20 mm [[ShVAK (20 mm)|ShVAK]] shells that weigh only 90 g, so even though the ShVAK offers a higher fire rate, the damage of the NS-23 can make up for the loss of fire rate.

The NS-23 is identical to the [[NR-23 (23 mm)|NR-23]] except for the lower fire rate. The NS-23 has a fire rate of ca 600 rpm whereas the [[NR-23 (23 mm)|NR-23]] has a 50% higher fire rate of 900 rpm, but with that comes higher ammo consumption and recoil.

== Usage in battles ==
<!-- ''Describe the cannon/machine gun in the game - its distinctive features, tactics of usage against notable opponents. Please don't write a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought.'' -->
Due to the high damage of the 23 mm cannons, firing short bursts is usually enough because only a few rounds need to connect to eliminate an enemy fighter, this also saves ammo which is usually in short supply for the planes using the NS-23s. For taking down bombers one should, as with most guns, aim for critical points to avoid wasting ammo and down the plane quickly.

Because the shells have a lower velocity than most guns (e.g. [[ShVAK (20 mm)|ShVAK]] having around 800-900 m/s compared to NS-23 600-700 m/s), a bit more lead must be used for the shells to connect. This is more of a problem in jet matches because the lead can be hard to approximate when targets are moving fast. Though this is likely not going to be a huge problem because of the tracer rich ammo belts, especially when going against slower propeller planes.

=== Pros and cons ===
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.'' -->

'''Pros:'''
* Lower fire rate can help conserve ammo and lower the recoil
* High damage shells, no need to shoot for longer durations
* High fire rate for gun of calibre
* Has enough penetration for top-down attacks on most tanks

'''Cons:'''
* Low velocity
* Low overall rate of fire, planes can sometimes "pass between the shells" during continuous fire
* No stealth belts for air targets (if one doesn't want to use AP-I shells)

== History ==
''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== See also ==
<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
* ''reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;''
* ''references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.'' -->
* [[ShVAK (20 mm)|ShVAK]]
* [[NR-23 (23 mm)|NR-23]]

== External links ==
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{USSR aircraft cannons}}
{{China aircraft cannons}}
{{Italy aircraft cannons}}

[[Category:Aircraft cannons]]