Weapons
M230 cannon
The 30 mm chain gun under the nose. It follows your sight, works out its own lead and drop, and fires high-explosive dual-purpose rounds.
The gun
| Ammunition | M789 HEDP (high-explosive dual-purpose), 805 m/s at the muzzle |
| Rate of fire | About 550 rounds a minute |
| Rounds | 300 with the IAFS fitted (the default), 1,200 with the 1,200-round magazine. See Variants and customisation. |
| Travel | 86° left and right, 11° up, 60° down |
Firing
- Action the gun with WAS Gun1. The HAD shows
CGUNorPGUNand the rounds left. - Look at the target with your sight: your head with the HMD, the TADS, or the radar’s next-to-shoot target with the FCR.
- Get a good range. The gun aims at your range source’s range, so lase with the TADS if you can.
- Pull the trigger. One pull fires the burst set on the WPN page: 10, 20, 50, 100 or all.
The gun works out its own superelevation for the range, and leads a moving target when you are tracking it with the radar. It turns towards the solution at its own rate; until it is within 1° the HAD shows COINCIDENCE and it will not fire. See Weapon action switch for every message.
Modes
Each crew station sets its own gun mode with R2 MODE on the WPN page’s gun format:
- NORM: the gun follows your sight.
- FXD: the gun is fixed along the nose, 6° up. Use it if the gun’s aiming is damaged or for a strafing run. The HAD shows
GUN FIXED.
Without AC power, the gun is fixed forward regardless.
Failures
| HAD | Cause |
|---|---|
GUN JAM |
The ammunition feed is damaged, with the 1,200-round magazine fitted. |
GUN FAIL |
The gun turret is damaged, or utility hydraulic pressure or fluid is too low. |
When the gun has failed the reticle flashes.
The barrel heats as you fire, using ACE’s overheating model. Fire long bursts and let it get hot enough, and a round cooks off in the chamber: the gun turret is damaged and the gun fails. Fire in bursts and let it cool.