The 30 mm 2A42 autocannon was developed as a replacement for 2A28 Grom and has a dual feed. One is for HE-T and the other for AP-T rounds. The gunner can select one of two rates of full automatic fire, low at 200 to 300 rds/min and high at 550 to 800 rds/min.[4] According to the manufacturer, effective range when engaging ground targets such as light armoured vehicles is 1,500 m (4,900 ft) while soft-skinned targets can be engaged out to 4,000 m (13,000 ft). Air targets can be engaged flying at low altitudes of up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft) at subsonic speeds, and up to a slant range of 2,500 m (8,200 ft).[5] In addition to being installed in a two-person turret on the BMP-2 mechanised infantry combat vehicle, this gun is also fitted in the BMD-2 airborne combat vehicle, BMD-3 airborne combat vehicle and BTR-90 (or GAZ-5923) (8 × 8) armoured personnel carrier. A small number of these have now entered service. More recently, the 30 mm 2A42 cannon has been installed in a new turret and fitted onto the roof of the BTR-T heavy armoured personnel carrier based on a modified T-54/T-55 MBT chassis. The cannon is also the main armament of BMPT (Tank Support Fighting Vehicle). It is also used for various armament projects from various manufacturers. The design bureau for the 30 mm 2A42 cannon is the KBP Instrument Design Bureau.
GTS-30, GTS-30/A – Slovak production with a different muzzle brake[7]
GTS-30/N – Slovak version adapted to 30x173mm NATO
2A72 – lighter simplified variant with a lower number of parts, a longer barrel, and higher muzzle velocity, but also a lower rate of fire. It is long recoil-operated, not gas-operated.
ABM-M30M3 – remote Weapon Station made by Impulse-2, for Uran-9 or different armored vehicles.
ABM-M30M3 Vikhr – another remote weapon station made by Impulse-2.
ZPT-99 – In the 1990s, the People's Republic of China imported BMP-3 weapon systems technology, and then they re-introduced the cannon. The Chinese production model of 2A72 was named ZPT-99. It was widely used by Chinese armored fighting vehicles.[9]
The 2A42 fires 30×165mm ammunition, a cartridge introduced in the 1970s in the Soviet Union to replace previous 30 mm autocannon cartridges. Other weapons using this size of cartridge case include the 2A38, 2A38M, and 2A72 autocannons for various vehicle, helicopter and air defence applications, as well as numerous single-, dual- and six-barrel naval and air force cannons. The 2A42, 2A38, 2A38M, and 2A72 fire percussion-primed ammunition; the naval and aerial cannons use electrical priming, and therefore their ammunition is not interchangeable with the land-based ammunition types, despite the same cartridge case size.[10][11]
Originally three basic types of ammunition were developed in the Soviet Union for the land-based weapons: high-explosive incendiary, high-explosive fragmentation with tracer, and an armour-piercing ballistic capped with tracer. Later a sub-caliber armour-piercing round was introduced, and today also countries other than Soviet Union/Russia manufacture 30x165 mm percussion-primed ammunition. The main types of ammunition are summarized in the table below:
A high-explosive incendiary round with A-670M nose fuze.[13] The fuze produces a 0.15 millisecond delay on impact, and a self-destruct mechanism detonating the projectile after 7.5 to 14.5 seconds of flight (3,900 to 5,000 m (12,800 to 16,400 ft) distance from muzzle).[10]
The 2A72 30mm autocannon, designed by KBP Instrument Design Bureau, is a lighter, less complex cousin of the 2A42, with a longer barrel. While the latter has 578 parts, 2A72 has only 349 parts, allowing it to weigh only 84 kg (with 36 kg barrel). 2A72 uses long recoil principle, resulting in lower recoil (7t instead of 20), but lower rate of fire (300-330 instead of 550). 2A72 is used in:
BMP-3 – mounted in between 2A70 100 mm gun/launcher and PKT coaxial MG
ABM-M30M3 – remote Weapon Station made by Impulse-2, for Uran-9 or different armored vehicles.
ABM-M30M3 Vikhr – another remote weapon station made by Impulse-2.
The 2A38 and 2A38M are 30mm twin-barrel autocannons, Gast-type. They are mainly used on air defense vehicles like 2K22 Tunguska and Pantsir-S1. It weighs 195 kg and has a maximum rate of fire of 2500 rd/min.
Koll, Christian (2009). Soviet Cannon – A Comprehensive Study of Soviet Arms and Ammunition in Calibres 12.7mm to 57mm. Austria: Koll. p. 271. ISBN978-3-200-01445-9.
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