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Light Caliber cannon
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M242 Bushmaster 25-mm
Cannon
The M242 Bushmaster Chain Gun is the principal US light armored vehicle main armament.
Although somewhat less powerful than the 30-40-mm cannon fitted in many light combat
vehicles, the M242 has proven to be reliable and potent
against many types of targets. The LAV-25 uses the Delco turret, and the M2/M3 Bradley AFV
series vehicles use the TBAT-II. Several other turret designs can accommodate the M242,
including Creusot-Loire T.25 (France), SAMM TTB 125 (France), Helio FVT 925 (Great
Britain), Arrowpointe (Southfield, Michigan), Cadillac Gage (Warren, Michigan), ESCO TAT-
251 and TAT-252 (St. Louis, Missouri), and the FMC two man autocannon turret. The gun can
fire M792 High-Explosive Incendiary with Tracer (HEI-T) and M758 Point Detonating Self-
Destruct (PDSD) fuze, M791 Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot (APDS-T), M793 Target
Practice with Tracer (TP-T), and M910 TPDS-T projectiles.
DEVELOPMENT •
Contract awarded to Hughes Helicopters (since acquired by McDonnell Douglas) in February
1976, with the first prototype beginning tests in early 1977. The gun achieved initial operational
capability in 1983.
VARIANTS •
Mk 38 Sea Snake is an M242 carried in a Mk 88 gun mount and fitted in patrol craft and new
construction amphibious and auxiliary ships as general-purpose, short-range armament.
Bushmaster II is a 30-mm cannon under development; 70% of the parts are from the original
Bushmaster. It fires standard GAU-8 ammunition, or RARDEN and KCB ammunition with
modification.
COMBAT EXPERIENCE •
The Bushmaster cannon was said to have been very effective against many types of soft and
light armored targets during Operation Desert Storm's ground war in February 1991. Anecdotal
reports even credited the M242 with knocking out some T-55 tanks with the APDS round.
Nevertheless, some Army analysts were reported to be suggesting that the main gun be upgraded
to 30- or 35-mm.
SPECIFICATIONS •
FIRING WEIGHT 244 lb (110.5 kg), barrel 95 lb (43.0 kg)
DIMENSIONS
length overall
9 ft 1 in (2.76m), gun
tube 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
width 12 in (330 mm)
height 15 in (380 mm)
EFFECTIVE RANGE more than 2,187 yd (2,000 m) against BMP-1 armored personnel carrier
MUZZLE VELOCITY
APDS-T M791 4,412 fps (1,345 mps); HEI-T M792 3,609 fps (1,100 mps); API-T PGU/20
3,363fps (1,025 mps) RATE OF FIRE 100, 200, or 500 rounds/min, cyclic
ROUND WEIGHT API-T PGU/20 18.8 OZ (533 g); HEI-T M792 17.7 oz (493 g); APDS-T
M791 16.0 oz (454 g) with 3.7-oz (104.5-g) su-projectile
M242 Bushmaster
U. S. Army photograph
Type Chain gun , dual feed.
Place of origin United States
Service history In service 1972–present
Used by See operators
Production history
Designer McDonnell Douglas
Manufacturer Alliant Techsystems
Number built 10,500+
Specifications
Weight 119 kilograms (260 lb)
Length 2,527 mm (99.5 in)[1]
Barrel length • Overall: 2,672 mm (105.2 in)
• Bore: 2,175 mm (85.6 in)
Width 318 mm (12.5 in)
Height 373 mm (14.7 in)
Shell 25×137 mm
Caliber 25 millimetres (0.98 in) caliber
Barrels Single barrel (progressive RH parabolic twist)
Rate of fire • Cyclic: 200rpm with 1hp or 500rpm with 8hp
Muzzle velocity 1,100 metres per second (3,600 ft/s)
Effective range
3,000 metres (9,800 ft) Maximum range 6,800 metres (22,300 ft)
Recommended