AG-30 (30 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.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• BMP-2M

General info

Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.

Available ammunition

Currently, only HE ammo is available for the AG-30 due to its purpose mainly being anti-personnel. Other ammunition types cannot be selected, there is only 1 type of belt for the time being. The AG-30 has only HE, Smoke and Training munitions in real life, so only gaining access to HE makes sense.

Comparison with analogues

Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns that have firepower equal to this weapon.

(Currently, there are no other automatic grenade launchers installed on any other vehicles, so a comparison cannot be made.)

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.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Decent rate of fire (400 RPM) in terms of an automatic grenade launcher
• May damage and cripple modules that are important to the enemy, such as their gun barrel and tracks
• Can remove enemy applique armor plates, especially ERA plates, so that the primary armament will have a better chance of penetrating.
• If enemy compartment is open-back or open-top, the crew of the enemy will be eliminated within a single good burst.
• Large belt capacity allows sustained fire for longer durations (300 grenades for the BMP-2M).
• Surprisingly, the grenades don't drop that much which makes firing at far-away stationary targets not that much of a problem.
• Launcher has decent elevation angles.
• Grenade launcher was given a sight and is now considered a secondary weapon after an update, so accurate fire and independent aiming is now possible.

Cons:

• Grenades will almost never penetrate armor directly and hurt the crew inside.
• Grenade's low muzzle velocity results in quite a delay from firing to grenade impact.
  • Time of travel can be ~1 second at 250 meters, and ~3 seconds at 500 meters, and expect even more time needed for targets beyond 500 m.
  • The very low muzzle velocity will make it a challenge to hit any moving targets beyond 200 meters.

History

The AGS-30 in an exhibition.

The AGS-17 adopted in 1971 was improved upon with the introduction of the AGS-30 grenade launcher. The new launcher, which had development started in the early 1990s by the KBP Instrument Design Bureau, was introduced in 1999 as a lighter, more accurate, and farther-hitting grenade launcher compared to the AGS-17, as well as constructed with 40% fewer parts. This was possible due to changes in the operating mechanism that allows a lighter breech body for firing from an open bolt (compared to the AGS-17's blowback operated closed bolt system), which consequently makes the weapon lighter with a faster firing rate.

The AGS-30 (Avtomatischeskyi Granatmyot Stankovyi Automatic Grenade Launcher - Mounted) was adopted for Russian Army service in 2002, firing the same 30x28B mm grenades as the AGS-17 in belts of 29 grenades. Due to its lightweight construction of 16 kg with tripod included (compared to the AG-17's weight of 18 kg alone, with the tripod weighing 12 kg), the weapon could be easily used and moved by a crew of two soldiers in the infantry support role. The AGS-30 can also be found as vehicle mounts as the AG-30M on AFV and helicopters with a remote-controlled turret.

The AGS-30 is still in service today, alongside the AGS-17 grenade launcher that it was intended to replace.

Media

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

See also

• M129 (40 mm) - A similar vehicle-mounted grenade launcher

External links

References

Bibliography

• Army Recognition, "AGS-30 30mm automatic grenade launcher." Army Recognition, Army Recognition Group SPRL, 09 Oct. 2018, Website. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021 (Archive).
• Koll, Christian, Soviet Cannon: A Comprehensive Study of Soviet Guns and Ammunition in Calibres 12.7mm to 57mm. Self-published, PDF, 2009.
• Military-Today. "AGS-30" Military-Today, Website. Accessed on 22 Apr 2021 (Archive).
• Popenker, Maxim, "AGS-30." Modern Firearms, Website. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021 (Archive).
• TASS, "Russian arms manufacturer to launch production of AGS-30 grenade launchers in 2020." Russian News Agency TASS, 20 Aug. 2019, Website. Accessed 22 Apr. 2021 (Archive from 08 Nov 2020).