The Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-6-30 is a Russian 30mm cannon used by Soviet and later CIS military aircraft.
The GSh-6-30, designed in the early 1970s and entering
service in 1975, is a six barrelled Gatling gub similar in design to the
Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-6-23. It was based on the naval AQ-18 used in the AK-630
system. Unlike rotary cannon, it is gas operated rather than electric, aloowing
it to “ spin up “ to maximum rate of fire more quickly, allowing more rounds to
be placed on target in a short-duration burst. Ignition is electrical, as witj
the smaller GSh-6-23.
The GSh-6-30 fires a 30x165mm round with a hard-hitting 390g projectile. With such a high rate of fire. It is a potentially devastating
weapon, although its tactical usefulness is restricted by ammunition suply.
That limitation may be why the cannon has seen few aircraft applications.
The principal application for the GSh-6-30 is the MiG-27 ‘Flogger”,
which carries the weapon in a gondola under the fuselage, primarily for
starfing and ground attack. It was fitted to prototype Su-25T aircraft, but
subsequently replaced with the GSh-30-2 twin-barreled cannon of the original
Su-25. It is also used as the gun component of the CADS-N-1 Kasthan air defense
weapon.
Operation :
Gas-operated, electrically fired
Cartridge :
30x165mm
Weight : 149
kg (328 lb)
Length : 2,040 mm
Rate of Fire : 6,000
rpm
Muzzle velocity : 845 m/s
(2,770 ft/s )