MK 30

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Rheinmetall MK 30-2 / ABM

The MK 30 is an M achines k anone in caliber 30 millimeters , originally from Mauser was developed. After the takeover of Mauser, the cannon will be produced by the subsidiary RWM GmbH (Rheinmetall Waffen Munition) of the German company Rheinmetall Defense .

The weapon also fires the NATO standard - caliber 30 × 173 mm for automatic cannons . By using 30 mm ammunition, the space savings compared to the 35 mm caliber is 50 percent and compared to the 40 mm caliber 75 percent. Furthermore, when developing the weapon, attention was paid to flexible use, so that the MK 30 can be used against land, air and sea targets on any weapon system.

technology

The MK 30 is a conventional gas pressure charger . The main assemblies are the barrel, weapon housing, belt feed, and recoil device. The drawn barrel and the cartridge chamber are chrome-plated to increase their service life. The ammunition is fed to the weapon using a double belt feeder . This means that two different types of ammunition can be selected without reloading. The greatest possible safety of the weapon is ensured by the rigid locking of the breech with supporting flaps underneath and the forced control of the firing pin. The MK 30 has a locking bolt, which means that the bolt is held in its rearmost position by the trigger. When the shot is fired, the bolt is unlocked, the cartridge is pushed out of the magazine into the chamber and it ignites. Ignition is either electrical or mechanical. The fire modes single shot , fast single fire (with 200 rounds per minute) and continuous fire with full cadence are possible. The weapon is designed in such a way that it can be dismantled for cleaning or maintenance without special tools.

variants

There are three versions of the MK 30:

  • MK 30-1 : Model F , first sample, shot of 30 × 173 mm aluminum ammunition
  • MK 30-2 : Further developed variant, firing of 30 × 173 mm steel ammunition
  • MK 30-2 / ABM : like MK 30-2, but equipped for firing air burst ammunition (ABM) such as AHEAD ammunition .

commitment

The MK 30-1 is mainly used as an anti-aircraft gun on warships , although it can also be mounted as a twin gun. The conventionally operated helicopter carriers of the Mistral class will be equipped with two MK 30s.

The MK-30-2 on the other hand mainly as a floating mounted gun for armored personnel carriers used to medium armored vehicles or light. The MK 30 in the MK 30-2 / ABM variant is intended as the primary armament for the new German armored personnel carrier Puma . Another application is the armored vehicles of the ASCOD series.

Technical specifications

MK 30-1 MK 30-2 MK 30-2 / ABM
Type single-barrel machine gun
caliber 30 × 173 mm
Working principle Gas pressure charger
cadence 800 rounds / min 700 rounds / min 700 rounds / min *
Effective range 3000 m
Weight 155.5 kg 173 kg 198 kg
Pipe length 2588 mm 3307 mm n / A
Length (complete) 3350 mm 3307 mm 3780 mm
height 291 mm 295 mm n / A
Width (with DGZ) 286 mm 310 mm n / A

(*) With the Puma infantry fighting vehicle, this rate is reduced to a maximum of 200 rounds / min in order to achieve better accuracy.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Press release at Rheinmetall Defense on the use of the MK30-2 as a Puma on-board cannon ( Memento from October 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive )