Russia / USSR
30 mm/63 (1.2") AK-230
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People's Republic of China
30 mm/63 (1.2") Type 69
Updated 22 November 2007
A close-in defensive weapon.  Widely used on Soviet ships of the 1960s through the 1980s and exported to many Eastern Bloc countries and to India.  Produced in the PRC under the designation Type 69.

The design of this weapon started in 1956 with testing beginning in 1957, but these were unsuccessful and the weapon was redesigned with new tests starting in 1958.  System level ship trials began in 1960 and the weapon system was accepted into service in 1969.  However, as was customary with Soviet weapons, the series production started in 1959.  This gun is an automatic, stabilized mounting containing two 30 mm (1.2") liquid-cooled revolver cannons, with the automatics working from the power of the exhaust.  The guns are belt fed, with 500 rounds per belt.  There were two versions of the mount:  Version A was designed for ships with 220 Vdc power systems and Version B was designed for ships with 380 Vac 50 Hz power systems.  There was also a low magnetic version of the system designed for minesweepers called AK-230M.  All AK-230Ms were designed for 380 Vac, 50 Hz power supplies.
WNRussian_30mm-63_ak-230_pic.jpg

30 mm/63 AK-230 on Yugoslavian Kotor class Frigate
Picture courtesy of Yugoslavian military magazine "Novi Glasnik"
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Gun Characteristics
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Designation 30 mm/63 (1.2") AK-230
Ship Class Used On AK-230
   Most of the Soviet ships built or modernized from 1960 to 1980

AK-230M
   Vanya (Pr. 257A), Yurka (Pr. 266), Zhenya (Pr. 1252), Sonja (Pr. 1265) class minesweepers

Type 69
   Huangfeng and Houxin Classes
Date Of Design 1956
Date In Service Series production started:  1959
Accepted into service:  1969
Gun Weight 343.9 lbs. (156 kg)
Gun Length oa 84.25 in (2.140 m)
Bore Length 74.69 in (1.897 m)
Rifling Length 71.06 in (1.805 m)
Grooves 12
Lands N/A
Twist N/A
Chamber Volume 13.49 in3 (0.221 dm3)
Rate Of Fire over 1,000 rounds per minute cyclic
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Ammunition
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Type Fixed
Weight of Complete Round 2.35 lbs. (1.066 kg)
Projectile Types and Weights HE-FRAG (OF-83) - 0.78 lbs. (0.354 kg)
HE (F-33) - 0.794 lbs. (0.36 kg)
AP (Br-83) - 0.794 lbs. (0.36 kg)
Bursting Charge HE-FRAG (OF-83) - 0.086 lbs. (0.039 kg)
HE (F-33) - 0.0677 lbs. (0.0307 kg)
AP (Br-83) - none
Projectile Length HE-FRAG (OF-83) - 4.23 calibers
HE (F-33) - 4.3 calibers
AP (Br-83) - 4.0 calibers
Propellant Charge 0.42 lbs. (0.19 kg)
Muzzle Velocity 3,440 - 3,478 fps (1,050-1,060 mps)
Working Pressure 19.63 tons/in2 (3,100 kg/cm2)
Approximate Barrel Life N/A
Ammunition stowage per gun 500 rounds per belt
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Range
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Elevation With 0.78 lbs. (0.354 kg) HE/Frag Shell
Max. Ballistic Range 7,327 yards (6,700 m)
Self Liquidation Limit 5,470 yards (5,000 m)
Official Table Range 5,181 yards (4,738 m)
Max FC range 4,374 yards (4,000 m)
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Mount / Turret Data
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Designation Twin Mounts
   AK-230 (Version A)
   AK-230 (Version B)
   AK-230M, Type 69
Weight  AK-230 (Version A) (weight as of 1981):  4,352 lbs. (1,974 kg)
AK-230 (Version B) (weight as of 1981):  4,246 lbs. (1,926 kg)
Type 69:  7,940 lbs. (3,600 kg)
Elevation AK-230:  -12 / +87 degrees
Type 69:  -12 / +87 degrees
Elevation Rate AK-230 (actual):  24 degrees per second
Type 69:  50 degrees per second
Train -180 / +180 degrees
Train Rate AK-230 and Type 69 (actual):  35 degrees per second
Gun recoil 3.62 in (92mm)
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Data from
"The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems 1991/92" by Norman Friedman
"Jane's Fighting Ships 1998-99" edited by Capt. Richard Sharpe, RN
"Entsiklopedia Otechestvennoi Artillerii" (Encyclopedia of Fatherland [Russian] Artillery) by A.V. Shirokorad
Special help from Vukasin Milosevic and Vladimir Yakubov