Direct proof of use
The M789 is directly documented in the 2001 War in Afghanistan through the Army's FY2017 ammunition justification book. In the CTG, 30 mm HEDP M789 entry, the Army described M789 as a training-standard item used in both training and combat and said funds were required to replenish munitions expended in combat operations by Apache helicopters in Operation Freedom's Sentinel Afghanistan theater.
The same ammunition line tied the request to 170,000 M789 cartridges and identified the round as the Apache M230 chain gun's qualified combat cartridge. That source supports U.S.-led and Afghan government side attribution for this record because Operation Freedom's Sentinel was the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan after the end of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sources: Army Procurement: Ammunition FY 2017 Additional Appropriations, Lead IG Operation Freedom's Sentinel 2017
Timeline
Operation Freedom's Sentinel began on January 1, 2015, as the U.S. mission that paired counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan with support for NATO's Resolute Support training, advising, and assistance mission.
The dated M789 evidence is fiscal rather than an incident report. The Army's FY2017 additional-appropriations justification described M789 replenishment after Apache combat expenditure in the OFS Afghanistan theater and attached a $20 million OCO request for 170,000 cartridges.
Sources: Lead IG Operation Freedom's Sentinel 2017, Army Procurement: Ammunition FY 2017 Additional Appropriations
Narrative
In Afghanistan, the sourced role for M789 was Apache helicopter 30 mm cannon ammunition for combat operations. General Dynamics describes the 30x113 mm M789 as the high-explosive dual-purpose round in the Apache M230/AV-30 ammunition family, and Army budget material identifies it as the qualified combat cartridge for the M230 chain gun.
The source record separates use from broader possession or compatibility. It proves that Apache helicopters expended M789 rounds in Operation Freedom's Sentinel Afghanistan theater and that the Army sought to replenish those cartridges. It does not identify a specific unit, province, target, engagement, or battle-damage effect for any individual M789 firing event.
The supported side is United States, NATO, and Afghan government forces. The available sources do not document Taliban or allied militant use of M789 cartridges in the 2001 War in Afghanistan.
Sources: GDOTS 30mm x 113 Ammunition Suite, Army Procurement: Ammunition FY 2017 Additional Appropriations
