Artillery

2A72 30 mm automatic cannon

Also known as
  • 2A72
  • 30 mm 2A72
  • 2A72 automatic cannon
  • 2A72 autocannon
  • 2A72 30mm autocannon

The 2A72 is a Russian 30x165 mm dual-feed automatic cannon designed by KBP Instrument Design Bureau and manufactured by Tulamashzavod Joint Stock Company. It is a lighter, recoil-operated 2A42-family gun used as a coaxial cannon on BMP-3 and BMD-4M-type turrets and as the main weapon on 30 mm BTR-80A/BTR-82A installations, with direct open-source reporting tying BTR-82A 2A72 fire to fighting near Latakia during the 2011 Syrian Civil War.

2A72 30 mm automatic cannon, 30 mm dual-feed automatic cannon, Artillery
Image source: Commons BTR-82A 2A72 Autocannon 01

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Russia
Type
30 mm dual-feed automatic cannon
Service note
1990s-present
Designer
KBP Instrument Design Bureau
Designed
1995
Produced
1990s-present

Specifications

Caliber
30 mm
Cartridge
30x165 mm
Feed system
Twin-feed, belt-fed selectable feed
Action
Recoil operated, electrically powered
Muzzle velocity
960 m/s
Rate of fire
400 rounds per minute
Weight
84 kg
Recoil force
6,000 kg
Ammunition
AP-T and HE-I
Effective range
1,500 m against armored targets; 2,000 m against lightly armored targets; 4,000 m against helicopters
Carrier Platforms

Open references document the 2A72 both as a main weapon in 30 mm wheeled APC turrets and as a coaxial gun in 100 mm/30 mm infantry-fighting-vehicle turrets.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
BTR-82/BTR-82A, 8x8 amphibious armored personnel carrier, Armored VehiclesBTR-82/BTR-82A8x8 amphibious APC

Rosoboronexport names the 2A72 as the BTR-82A main weapon.

Sources: BTR-82A Armoured Personnel Carrier

BTR-80, 8x8 amphibious armored personnel carrier, Armored VehiclesBTR-80BTR-80A 8x8 APC variant

Army Guide lists the 2A72 as installed on the BTR-80A; the catalog BTR-80 entry covers the BTR-80A as a listed alias.

Sources: 2A72 - Army Guide

BMP-3, Tracked amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, Armored VehiclesBMP-3Tracked amphibious IFV

Rosoboronexport lists the BMP-3 armament suite with a 2A72 30 mm automatic cannon and a 500-round 30 mm ammunition load.

Sources: BMP-3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle

BMD-4/BMD-4M, Airborne amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, Armored VehiclesBMD-4/BMD-4MAirborne amphibious IFV

Army Guide describes the BMD-4M's Bakhcha turret as using the same weapons and ammunition as the BMP-3 and lists a 30 mm 2A72 with 500 rounds.

Sources: BMD-4M Sadovnitsa - Army Guide

Ammunition Fired

The 2A72 belongs to the Soviet-pattern 30x165 mm cannon family used by several ground-vehicle automatic guns.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
30x165 mm ammunition, 30x165 mm autocannon ammunition family, Munitions30x165 mm ammunition30x165 mm ammunition family

STV GROUP lists 30x165 mm ammunition as compatible with 2A38, 2A42, and 2A72 automatic guns.

Sources: Ammunition 30x165 mm - STV GROUP

Design And Mounting Context

The 2A72 fills two common integration roles: a stabilized main cannon in BTR-80A/BTR-82A-style wheeled turrets and a coaxial 30 mm gun beside the 2A70 100 mm gun-launcher in BMP-3 and BMD-4M-type turrets. Weaponsystems.net describes it as a simplified, recoil-operated 2A42-family design, while STV GROUP documents its place in the 30x165 mm ammunition family.

Operating principle

Recoil-operated cannon with electrically powered operation rather than the 2A42's gas-operated fixed-barrel arrangement.

Feed and cartridge

Twin-feed 30x165 mm system, allowing selectable ammunition types in vehicle mounts.

Mounting pattern

Used as main armament on 30 mm BTR turrets and as a coaxial cannon in BMP-3/BMD-4M armament suites.

Media

2A72 30 mm automatic cannon Videos

2A72 30 mm automatic cannon Images

2A72 30 mm automatic cannon, 30 mm dual-feed automatic cannon, Artillery - view 1
Source: Commons BTR-82A 2A72 Autocannon 02
Related Weapon Systems
30x165 mm ammunition, 30x165 mm autocannon ammunition family, MunitionsMunitions30x165 mm ammunition30x165 mm autocannon ammunition family30x165 mm ammunition is a Soviet-origin autocannon ammunition family marketed by STV GROUP, MSM Group, and Yugoimport SDPR for Soviet-pattern 30 mm automatic guns. STV lists the family for 2A38, 2A42, and 2A72 autocannons mounted on BMP-2, BMP-3, BMD-2, BMD-3, and BTR-80A platforms, with HE, HEI, HEI-T, HE-T, HE-SR-T, and AP-T variants. Conflict Armament Research also documented a single 30 x 165 mm cartridge ammunition item in its Iraq sample of Islamic State materiel, without identifying the specific round variant or firing platform.
2A14 23 mm cannon, 23 mm gas-operated autocannon, Air DefenseAir Defense2A14 23 mm cannon23 mm gas-operated autocannonThe 2A14 is the air-cooled 23 x 152B mm autocannon at the core of ZU-23 and ZU-23-2 short-range air-defense guns, with a quick-change barrel and a belt-feed layout that can be arranged from either side. Public conflict evidence most often documents it through the mounts that carry it: ZU-23-2 guns in Ukrainian service, SPLA-N air-defense fire in South Kordofan, Armenian and Artsakh losses in Nagorno-Karabakh, Houthi firing around Hudaydah, Tigray Defence Forces heavy weapons, and 2A14-pattern or ZU-23-2-pattern weapons with rebel forces in northern Mali.
BMD-4/BMD-4M, Airborne amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesBMD-4/BMD-4MAirborne amphibious infantry fighting vehicleThe BMD-4/BMD-4M is a Russian airborne amphibious infantry fighting vehicle built for VDV units, combining a light parachutable tracked chassis with the Bakhcha-U turret's 100 mm 2A70 gun-launcher, 30 mm 2A72 autocannon, and coaxial machine gun. In the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War it appears as a Russian airborne assault vehicle, with visually documented losses at Hostomel and later BMD-4M deliveries showing factory add-on armor, slat armor, and Nakidka signature-reduction kits shaped by the Ukraine battlefield.
BMP-1AM Basurmanin, Modernized infantry fighting vehicle, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesBMP-1AM BasurmaninModernized infantry fighting vehicleThe BMP-1AM Basurmanin is a Russian modernization of the BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle that replaces the original 73 mm Grom turret with a BTR-82A-derived fighting compartment carrying a 30 mm 2A72 cannon, PKTM machine gun, updated sights, and Metis anti-tank missile capability. Russian industry sources describe repaired and upgraded vehicles delivered under state defense orders, while Ukrainian and open-source loss reporting place BMP-1AM vehicles in Russian service during the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Sources

2A72 - Army GuidePublisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports the 2A72's manufacturer, design authority, 1995 public debut, ammunition types, muzzle velocity, rate of fire, weight, recoil force, effective range, and documented installations on Russian platforms. | Accessed: 2026-07-01BTR-82A Armoured Personnel CarrierPublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Official export page identifying the BTR-82A main weapon and supporting the carried-by relationship from the cannon to the vehicle. | Accessed: 2026-07-01BMP-3 Infantry Fighting VehiclePublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Official export page identifying the BMP-3 armament suite, including the 2A72 30 mm automatic cannon and ammunition load, and supporting the carried-by relationship from the cannon to the vehicle. | Accessed: 2026-07-01BMD-4M Sadovnitsa - Army GuidePublisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports BMD-4M/Bakhcha turret context and identifies the 2A72 as the 30 mm automatic cannon in the BMD-4M armament package. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Ammunition 30x165 mm - STV GROUPPublisher: STV GROUP | Note: Manufacturer page supporting 30x165 mm ammunition compatibility with 2A38, 2A42, and 2A72 automatic guns and listed vehicle installations. | Accessed: 2026-07-0130mm 2A72 - Weaponsystems.netPublisher: Weaponsystems.net | Note: Specialist reference supporting the 2A72's recoil-operated design, 30x165 mm feed context, simplified relationship to the 2A42, and documented applications on BMP-3, BTR-80A, BTR-82, and BMD-4 platforms. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Bellingcat Russian Troops Syria 2A72Publisher: Bellingcat | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct use: assesses fighting near Latakia footage as showing a BTR-82A with a Russian-speaking crew and identifies heard double shots as the vehicle's 30 mm 2A72 cannon firing. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Commons BTR-82A 2A72 Autocannon 01Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for a Commons photograph showing the 2A72 on a BTR-82A. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Commons BTR-82A 2A72 Autocannon 02Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for a second Commons photograph showing the 2A72 on a BTR-82A. | Accessed: 2026-07-01