Shipunov 2A42 Russian 30mm Autocannon



The Shipunov 2A42 is a Soviet/Russian 30 mm autocannon. It is built by the Tulamashzavod Joint Stock Company. The 2A42 is a late Cold War-era 30mm autocannon of Soviet origin. It was developed somewhere in the 1970s and was selected to arm the new BMP-2. The 2A42 autocannon significantly improved the lethality and combat range of the BMP-2 compared to the BMP-1 with its 73mm low-pressure cannon. The 2A42 has also been used on a variety of other platforms and its 30x165mm ammunition is used by various other Soviet autocannon. The 2A42 is a gas double belt feed gas-operated weapon. It is electrically powered and requires external power. The long barrel is rifled and has a double baffle muzzle brake. The rate of fire is selectable to low and high. Due to its significant recoil, the strength requirements on the mount are high. There are no variants of the 2A42, although the design of the newer lightweight 2A72 shares some design features.