AK-230 (30 mm)

Description

The 30 mm AK-230 is a Soviet twin-barrel autocannon used on naval vessels.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• ▀Pr. 206
• Pr. 206
• Mikhail Kutuzov

General info

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Available ammunition

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Comparison with analogues

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Usage in battles

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Pros and cons

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History

The AK-230 is a close-in defensive weapon, widely used on Soviet ships of the 1960s through the 1980s and exported to many Eastern Bloc countries, as well as India. About 1450 guns were produced in the USSR, and about 300 were also produced in the PRC under the designation Type 69.

The design of this weapon started in 1956 with testing beginning in 1957, but these were unsuccessful and the weapon was redesigned with new tests starting in 1958. System level ship trials began in 1960 and the weapon system was accepted into service in 1969. However, as was customary with Soviet weapons, the series production started in 1959. This gun is an automatic, stabilized mounting containing two 30 mm (1.2") liquid-cooled revolver cannons, with the automatics working from the power of the exhaust. The guns are belt fed, with 500 rounds per belt.

There were two versions of the mount: Version A was designed for ships with 220 Vdc power systems and Version B was designed for ships with 380 Vac 50 Hz power systems. There was also a low magnetic version of the system designed for minesweepers called AK-230M. All AK-230Ms were designed for 380 Vac, 50 Hz power supplies.

The AK-230s service life was relatively short, due to the fielding of the AK-630 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 of 1050 m/s (the same as with 30×173 mm GAU-8'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.

Media

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See also

• 30 mm/54 AK-630 (30 mm) - A Soviet autocannon that succeeded the AK-230

External links

• [WeaponSystems.net] 30mm AK-230
• [NavWeaps] 30 mm/63 (1.2") AK-230

USSR naval cannons
20 mm	ShVAK
25 mm	2M-3
30 mm	AK-230 · 30 mm/54 AK-630 · 30 mm/54 AK-630M · BP "Plamya"
37 mm	37 mm/67 70-K · V-11
45 mm	45 mm/46 21-K · 45 mm/68 21-KM · 45 mm/89 SM-20-ZIF · 45 mm/89 SM-21-ZIF
57 mm	AK-725
75 mm	75 mm/50 Canet patt.1892
76 mm	34-K · 39-K · 76 mm/60 AK-176M · AK-726 · D-56TS · F-34 · Lender AA gun, pattern 1914/15
85 mm	85 mm/52 92-K · 85 mm/54.6 ZIS-C-53 · 90-K
100 mm	100 mm/56 B-34 · 100 mm/70 SM-5-1 · Minizini
102 mm	Pattern 1911
120 mm	120 mm/50 pattern 1905
130 mm	130 mm/55 pattern 1913 · 130 mm/58 SM-2-1 · B-13
152 mm	152 mm/57 B-38
180 mm	180 mm/57 B-1-P · 180 mm/60 B-1-K
305 mm	12-inch/52 pattern 1907 · 305 mm/54 B-50
356 mm	14-inch/52 pattern 1913 (356 mm)
	Foreign:
40 mm	2pdr QF Mk.IIc (Britain) · Skoda (Czechoslovakia)
47 mm	3 pdr QF Hotchkiss (Britain)
76 mm	76 mm/40 Ansaldo mod.1917 (Italy)
88 mm	SK C/30 (Germany)
120 mm	120 mm/50 Mk.4 Bofors M1924 (Sweden) · 120 mm/50 O.T.O. Mod.1933 (Italy)
152 mm	152/53 mm O.T.O. Mod.1929 (Italy)
320 mm	320 mm/44 Ansaldo model 1934 (Italy)