AK-230

AK-230 is a Soviet fully automatic naval twin 30 mm gun. Its primary function is anti-aircraft. It is mounted in an enclosed automatic turret and directed by radar. AK-230 is widely used, mounted on big warships as well as small crafts. 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 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, though, as already by late 70es it's been steadily supplanted by the AK-630 system, 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 30×175 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.