Nudelman-Rikhter NR-30
NR-30 | |
---|---|
Type | Single-barrelAutocannon |
Place of origin | Soviet Union |
Service history | |
Used by | Soviet Union,Russia, China |
Production history | |
Variants | NorincoType 30 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 66 kg (146 lb) |
Length | 2,153 mm (7 ft 1 in) |
Barrellength | 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) |
Width | 181 mm (7 in) |
Height | 186 mm (7.3 in) |
Cartridge | 30x155mm |
Caliber | 30 mm (1.18 in) |
Barrels | 1 |
Action | Short recoil |
Rate of fire | 850–1,000 rpm |
Muzzle velocity | 780 m/s (2,560 ft/s) |
TheNudelman-Rikhter NR-30was aSovietautocannonwidely used inmilitary aircraftof theSoviet UnionandWarsaw Pact.It was designed byA.E. Nudelmanand A. A. Rikhter, entering service in1954.
Description
[edit]Prior to the introduction of the NR-30, most Soviet autocannon were of 23 or 37 mm calibre and often used in combination. For instance, theMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15was equipped with twoNR-23's and a singleN-37.The two were mismatched; the NR-23 was a rapid-fire weapon with relatively low explosive power, while the N-37 was extremely powerful, typically able to destroy a bomber with a single hit, but with very a low firing rate which made it unsuited to firing at manoeuvring targets like fighters. Moreover, the two had very different ballistics which meant that long-range fire would result in one or the other set of guns being properly aimed.
The NR-30 was an attempt to solve this problem by introducing a single weapon that could serve in both roles. It was essentially an enlarged version of the NR-23 using the sameshort recoilmechanism firing a new 400gram30 mm round that was roughly twice the mass of the earlier NR-23 and slightly less than half that of the N-37. While not capable of destroying a bomber in a single hit, it made up for this by improving the firing rate to 900 cycles per minute, beyond that of the NR-23.Muzzle velocityincreased to 800 m/s, besting both the NR-23 and N-37.
Its total firepower, the product of per-round energy and firing rate, was better than either of the earlier weapons. This demanded the use of amuzzle brakewith an integrated flame damper to prevent airframe damage from its firing. In fighters, wing mountings were more common than the nose mounts of the earlier designs. This often required small sections ofstainless steelto be fitted to the wing skinning to protect it.
Aircraft typically carried a load of 70 shells for each gun. There were 20 different types of ammunition available; the most used wereAPandHEI,the latter of 40–48 g HE internal charge, several times larger than 20 mm ammunition. An unusual munition was theChaff dispenser PRL,with 48,000 chaff particles internally; it is not known how it was used.
The NR-30 was also remarkably light, about one-third lighter than the N-37 while offering higher firepower. TheGSh-301is the only lighter 30 mm gun.
The NR-30 was used mainly in theMiG-19,earlyMiG-21models, theSukhoi Su-7,and theSukhoi Su-17.It was also used on theShenyang J-6,theChinesecopy of the MiG-19, with a third gun in the nose. The Chinese manufactured their own version, theType-30,basically similar though with slightly different characteristics.
Ammunition specifications
[edit]- Caliber:30x155mm (belted) with a brass case
- Projectile weight:410 grams (14½ oz), 840 g (1 lb 13½ oz) complete
- Launch charge:95 g to 99 g of 6/7fl VBP smokeless powder
- Types of ammunition:HEI, AP, TP, Chaff dispensers
Users
[edit]- Soviet Union
- Russian Federation
- China
- Albania- Used in the J-6C aircraft from 1962 until 2005.
- Pakistan- Used in theShenyang F-6Cfrom 1965 until 2002.
Gallery
[edit]-
stainless steel cladding at the muzzle of NR30
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mounting of a NR-30 insideSu-22
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Cooling air inlet and cartridge outlet of NR30 on an Su-22
References
[edit]- Koll, Christian (2009).Soviet Cannon - A Comprehensive Study of Soviet Arms and Ammunition in Calibres 12.7mm to 57mm.Austria: Koll. p. 251.ISBN978-3-200-01445-9.Archived fromthe originalon 2009-10-19.Retrieved2009-10-24.