Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-6-30

Type: six-barrel rotary cannon
Caliber: 30 mm (1.18 in)
Operation: gas-operated , electrically fired
Length: 2040 mm
Weight (complete): 149 kg (328 lb)
Rate of fire: 6000 rpm
Muzzle velocity: 845 m/s (2,770 ft/s)
Projectile weight: 390 g (13¾ oz)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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-barreled Gatling gun similar in design to the Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-6-23. Unlike American rotary cannons, it is gas-operated rather than electric, allowing 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 with the smaller GSh-6-23.

The GSh-6-30 fires a 30x165 mm round with a hard-hitting 390 g (13¾ oz) projectile. With such a high rate of fire, it is a potentially devastating weapon, although its tactical usefulness is restricted by ammunition supply. 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 strafing 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 Kashtan air defense weapon.