Mk44 Bushmaster II
| Mk44 Bushmaster II | |
|---|---|
Finnish CV 9030 with Mk44
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| Type | Chain gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1972–present |
| Used by | See users |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Alliant Techsystems (ATK) |
| Manufacturer | ATK |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 344 lb (160 kg) |
| Length | 134.05 inches (3,405 mm) |
| Barrel length | 94.88 inches (2,410 mm) |
| Width | 13.5 inches (340 mm) |
| Height | 15.43 inches (392 mm) |
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| Shell | 30×173 mm |
| Caliber | 30 millimetres (1.18 in) caliber |
| Rate of fire | 100/200 rounds per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,080 metres per second (3,500 ft/s) (HEI-T ammunition) |
| Effective firing range | 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) land appl. 5,100 metres (16,700 ft) naval appl. |
The Mk44 Bushmaster II is a 30 mm chain gun manufactured by Alliant Techsystems. It is a derivative of the 25 mm M242 Bushmaster, and uses 70% of the same parts as the M242 while increasing the firepower by as much as 50% with the 20% increase in caliber size. The barrel is chromium-plated for extended life. The gun uses standard GAU-8 Avenger ammunition that is available in API (Armor-Piercing Incendiary), HEI (High-Explosive Incendiary) and APFSDS-T (Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot-Tracer) variants. The gun can be converted to a caliber of 40 mm, which involves changing the barrel and a few key parts, to use the Super 40 cartridge. It can also be converted to use the 30x170 mm RARDEN cartridge.
The Bushmaster II is the standard primary armament of Bionix-II AFV currently in service with the Singapore Army, the KTO Rosomak in Polish service as well as that of the CV90 AFVs in Finnish, Norwegian and Swiss service. Although the United States Air Force selected this cannon to replace the 25 mm and 40 mm guns on its fleet of AC-130U gunships in 2007, this plan was later canceled. The United States Marine Corps' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, which has been canceled, was expected to be armed with this cannon as well. Some United States Navy vessels, such as the new San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock are armed with the Bushmaster II for surface threat defense.
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