L30A1 (120 mm)
Contents
Description
Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.
Vehicles equipped with this weapon
General info
Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the cannon or machine gun.
Available ammunition
Describe the shells that are available for the weapon and their features and purpose. If it concerns autocannons or machine guns, write about different ammo belts and what is inside (which types of shells).
The gun has access to three variants of kinetic rounds and a chemical shell. Additionally, the turret has one co-axial and an AA machine gun, both of which are 7.62mm calibre.
The three kinetic rounds it has access to are;
- Shot L23A1
- Shot L26
- Shot L27A1
These three rounds are all long-rod penetrators, which is characterised by low spalling creation on penetration but a much higher penetration value and is more consistent than its HEAT-FS counterpart, especially against ERA. The three rounds all act rather similarly, with one of the main benefits from upgrading being the higher penetration, and in regards to the L23A1, the other two rounds have a higher muzzle velocity. This higher penetration allows the already existing weak spots (turret mantlet, drivers port on Russian MBTs) wider and therefore easier to hit. One can reasonably expect to only bring kinetic rounds into the battle and have no problems.
The only chemical round the L30 has is the shell L31A7, a High Explosive Squash Head (HESH) round. This round excels at achieving penetration on highly sloped targets, such as the top of Russian MBTs turrets, Leopards upper frontal plates, etc. Using the round against ERA-equipped targets is inadvisable. Due to the hull break mechanic, these rounds are extremely effective, and help players avoid situations where the kinetic round does not penetrate through the engine from the front (on BMPs, Begleitpanzers, etc.) or shooting lighter vehicles in the side and failing to eliminate enough crew or ammo to destroy the target. The round has 6.5kg of explosive equivalent, and as such has a much reduced muzzle velocity, so use with a laser rangefinder at longer ranges is recommended.
Comparison with analogues
Give a comparative description of cannons/machine guns that have firepower equal to this weapon.
Usage in battles
The gun is extremely accurate at all ranges, and with 1650m/s of muzzle velocity, is quite easy to aim. Due to the optics of the gun, sniping is extremely viable on almost all maps, and locating weak spots on far away enemies is also easy. The gun is capable of punching through the front of most top tier rivals at several points, the most common being the lower frontal plate, mantlet, and drivers port on some tanks. Due to the potency of the gun, fighting Russian MBTs is made easy as the rotary autoloading ammo-rack below the turret will be set off if hit, and can be hit from all sides. Against Leopards and Abrams, the gun has enough penetration to punch through the turret ring. The HESH is also potent against light vehicles and some MBTs without ERA on the sides or turret roof. As expected, shooting for strong points, such as turret cheeks or upper front plates, will not provide a penetration.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- The gun is extremely accurate at all ranges.
- The L27A1 is an extremely competitive round for the BR, in penetration and muzzle velocity.
- Optics are powerful.
- The HESH round has plenty of explosive filler for soft targets.
Cons:
- Chemical round has a low muzzle velocity.
- Lower versatility than some smooth-bore guns at the same BR, lacking any ATGM, HEAT-FS or Proximity rounds.
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
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
- references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- encyclopedia page on the weapon;
- other literature.
| Britain tank cannons | |
|---|---|
| 30 mm | L21A1 |
| 40 mm | QF 2-pounder |
| 47 mm | Ordnance QF 3-pounder |
| 57 mm | 6pdr OQF Mk.III · 6pdr OQF Mk.V |
| 75 mm | OQF Mk.V |
| 76 mm | OQF 3-inch Howitzer Mk I · OQF 3in 20cwt · QF 17-pounder |
| 77 mm | OQF Mk.II |
| 84 mm | 20pdr OQF Mk.I |
| 94 mm | 28pdr OQF · 32pdr OQF · OQF Mk.II |
| 95 mm | Howitzer, Tank No.1, Mk.I |
| 105 mm | LRF · Royal Ordnance L7A1 |
| 120 mm | Ordnance QF Tk. L1A2 · Ordnance BL Tk. L11 · L11A5 · L30A1 |
| 165 mm | ORD BL 6.5in L9A1 |
| 183 mm | QF L4A1 |
| Foreign: | |
| 25 mm | M242 (USA) |
| 37 mm | M5 (USA) · M6 (USA) |
| 75 mm | M2 (USA) · M3 (USA) |
| 84 mm | kan Strv 81 (Sweden) |
| 105 mm | Sharir (Israel) |
| 120 mm | Rh120 L/55 A1 (Germany) |
| 125 mm | 2A46M-5 (Russia) |
| 155 mm | M185 (USA) |
| South Africa | |
| 20 mm | GI-2 |
| 76 mm | GT-4 |
| 90 mm | GT-2 |
| 105 mm | GT-3 · GT-7 · GT-8 |
| 155 mm | G6 L/45 |
