30x165 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.
Conflict Armament Research recorded one 30 x 165 mm medium-calibre cartridge ammunition item in its Iraq sample of Islamic State materiel; the report does not identify the round variant, firing platform, or confirmed firing event.
Role detailsSTV GROUP and MSM Group describe the 30x165 mm family as a set of high-explosive, incendiary, tracer, armor-piercing, and short-range training cartridges for Soviet-pattern 30 mm automatic guns.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| HE | High-explosive round | STV lists the HE cartridge with a 960±15 m/s muzzle velocity, a 291 mm cartridge length, and a self-destruct fuze for 2A38M, 2A42, 2A72, and other 30x165 mm guns. Sources: Ammunition 30x165 mm HE (High Explosive) - STV GROUP |
| HEI | High-explosive incendiary round | STV describes the HEI cartridge as combining high-explosive and incendiary effects, with the same 960±15 m/s velocity class and self-destruct fuze as the basic HE round. Sources: Ammunition 30x165mm HEI (High Explosive Incendiary) - STV GROUP |
 | High-explosive incendiary tracer round | STV lists the HEI-T round as a tracer-fitted high-explosive incendiary cartridge with 10 seconds of tracer burnout and a 290 mm cartridge length. Sources: Ammunition 30x165mm HEI-T (High Explosive Incendiary with Tracer) - STV GROUP |
| HE-T | High-explosive tracer round | STV lists the HE-T cartridge as a high-explosive round with tracer, 10 seconds of tracer burnout, and a 960±15 m/s muzzle velocity. Sources: Ammunition 30x165mm HE-T (High Explosive with Tracer) - STV GROUP |
| HE-SR-T | Short-range high-explosive tracer training round | STV says the HE-SR-T cartridge is primarily for short-range training while retaining a high-explosive tracer configuration and self-destruct fuze. Sources: Ammunition 30x165mm HE-SR-T (High Explosive Short Range with Tracer) - STV GROUP |
| AP-T | Armor-piercing tracer round | STV lists the AP-T cartridge with a 970±15 m/s muzzle velocity, 853 g cartridge weight, and tracer for kinetic armor penetration. Sources: Ammunition 30x165mm AP-T (Armor Piercing with Tracer) - STV GROUP |
Manufacturer and reference pages place the family in the Soviet-pattern 30x165 mm automatic-gun ecosystem, especially the 2A38/2A38M, 2A42, and 2A72 lines.
| Firing weapon | Weapon type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Twin-barrel 30 mm automatic cannon | STV GROUP lists 30x165 mm ammunition as compatible with the 2A38 automatic-gun family, Yugoimport lists 2A38M product documents, and WeaponSystems.net describes the 2A38 as firing 30x165 mm cartridges. Sources: Ammunition 30x165 mm - STV GROUP, Yugoimport 30 mm Medium Caliber Ammunition, WeaponSystems.net 30mm 2A38 |
 | 30 mm automatic cannon | STV GROUP and MSM Group both list the 2A42 as one of the guns using the 30x165 mm ammunition family, and Army Guide describes the 2A42's dual feed for HE-T and AP-T rounds. Sources: Ammunition 30x165 mm - STV GROUP, Medium Caliber Ammo | Msm.sk, 2A42 - Army Guide |
 | 30 mm automatic cannon | STV GROUP and MSM Group both list the 2A72 as compatible with the 30x165 mm ammunition family, and Army Guide says the 2A72 fires the same ammunition family as the 2A42. Sources: Ammunition 30x165 mm - STV GROUP, Medium Caliber Ammo | Msm.sk, 2A72 - Army Guide |
STV GROUP lists BMP-2, BMP-3, BMD-2, BMD-3, and BTR-80A installations for compatible 30x165 mm automatic guns; linked records below are the matching catalog entries that already exist.
| Carrier | Carrier type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Mechanized infantry combat vehicle | STV Group says 30x165 mm ammunition is compatible with the BMP-2's 2A42 automatic gun, and Army Guide identifies the 2A42 as the BMP-2's main armament. Sources: Ammunition 30x165 mm - STV GROUP, 2A42 - Army Guide |
 | Tracked amphibious infantry fighting vehicle | STV GROUP lists the BMP-3 among vehicles mounting 30x165 mm-compatible guns, and Army Guide identifies the BMP-3 as a production application of the 2A72 cannon. Sources: Ammunition 30x165 mm - STV GROUP, 2A72 - Army Guide |
 | Airborne infantry fighting vehicle | STV GROUP lists the BMD-2 as a carrier platform, and Army Guide documents the BMD-2 ammunition load for its 30 mm armament. |
 | 8x8 armored personnel carrier family | STV GROUP lists BTR-80A among the vehicles using 30x165 mm ammunition with compatible automatic guns, and Army Guide identifies BTR-80A as a production application of the 2A72 cannon; the catalog BTR-80 record covers BTR-80A as an alias. Sources: Ammunition 30x165 mm - STV GROUP, 2A72 - Army Guide |
 | Tracked gun-missile air-defense system | WeaponSystems.net describes the 2A38 as firing 30x165 mm cartridges and says the gun was first introduced on the 2S6 Tunguska. Sources: WeaponSystems.net 30mm 2A38 |
The public product pages describe 30x165 mm as a family rather than a single cartridge. The same caliber supports different projectile effects while staying tied to Soviet-pattern automatic guns used on ground vehicles, air-defense systems, naval guns, and aircraft cannon.
STV GROUP lists 2A38, 2A42, and 2A72 compatibility at family level, while individual round pages also name the 2A38M and other 30x165 mm anti-aircraft or aircraft guns.
The listed ground carriers are BMP-2, BMP-3, BMD-2, BMD-3, and BTR-80A platforms; WeaponSystems.net also ties the 2A38 cartridge family to the Tunguska air-defense gun system.
The STV set spans high-explosive, incendiary, tracer, armor-piercing, and short-range training cartridges; MSM Group and Yugoimport list additional 30 mm x 165 product documents including AP, AP-T, HE/HEI, HE-T/HEI-T, TP, and TP-T types.
