NR-30 (30 mm)

Description

The Nudelman-Rikhter NR-30, also known as the Type 30-1 on Chinese vehicles, is a 30 mm cannon used by Soviet fighters of the mid to late '50s, with its most notable use on the MiG-19S. The two primary Soviet fighter jets that preceded the MiG-19, the MiG-17 and the MiG-15, had used a 37 mm N-37 plus two 23 mm NR-23 cannons as their primary armament, which had different ballistic profiles, velocities, and effectiveness against enemy aircraft. The NR-30 was designed to bridge the gap between the two, offering a faster velocity than the 37 mm cannon while packing a deadlier punch than the 23 mm cannon.

For its brief service period, primarily mounted on the MiG-19 and MiG-21, the NR-30 served as a highly potent weapons platform with considerable muzzle velocity and effective ammunition for anti-aircraft roles.

General info

The NR-30 fires 30 mm rounds at 1,000 RPM, with a muzzle velocity of 780 m/s. Thanks to the calibre of the gun, as well as the explosive mass of the HEF-I shells, the NR-30 is very capable of killing opponents in only one to two direct hits, especially to the wings. However, aircraft equipped with the NR-30 only hold reserves of 70 rounds per gun, which combines with the rate-of-fire of 1,000 RPM to punish players with a poor aim and lacklustre trigger discipline. These factors cause the NR-30 to demand moderately high skill to use but rewards successful use with reliable critical damage or even swift target destructions.

Available ammunition

• Default: HEF-I · AP-T · HEF-I · APHE
• Armoured targets: APHE · AP-T · HEF-I
• Air targets: APHE · HEF-I · HEF-I · HEFI-T
• Armoured targets (MiG-19PT): APHE · APHE · APHE · AP-T
• Air targets (MiG-19PT): AP-T · HEF-I · HEF-I · HEF-I

Penetration statistics
Belt	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
Default	48	47	40	33	27	22
Armoured targets	48	47	40	33	27	22
Air targets	37	36	31	26	21	17
Armoured targets (MiG-19PT)	48	47	40	33	27	22
Air targets (MiG-19PT)	48	47	40	33	27	22

Comparison with analogues

Though firing a fair amount slower, the NR-30's closest comparisons are the British ADEN and French DEFA cannons, both 30 mm cannons with similar ballistics and destructive capabilities. Both guns are very capable of killing opponents in one to two hits, though planes equipped with ADENs and DEFAs tend to have the advantage of a far larger ammo supply; where the MiG-19S only carries 210 rounds for three NR-30s, the Hunter F.1 carries 600 shells for four ADEN cannons; the difference in endurance is clear.

Usage in battles

The NR-30 finds its use well in high-angle deflection shots, with great muzzle velocity allowing it to easily hit opponents who are crossing the user's nose. Try to position your fighter so that enemies will fly past your nose, even if only for a brief moment, as the NR-30's destructive power causes even brief exposure to end in a lethal encounter with their rounds.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• High muzzle velocity (780 m/s)
• Excellent damage capabilities
• Good potential for multirole use, with APHE able to penetrate up to 50 mm of RHA
• Burst mass, per gun, exceeding that of even ADENs and DEFAs
• Relatively high rate-of-fire (1,000 RPM)
• Notably accurate out to long ranges, even when not upgraded

Cons:

• Tracer rounds found in every belt choice
• Extremely poor ammunition reserves punish poor trigger discipline

History

Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

• ADEN (30 mm)
• DEFA 541 (30 mm)
• DEFA 551 (30 mm)
• DEFA 552 (30 mm)

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.