30 × 173 mm MK 30 ammunition

ballistically matched projectiles in the family; APDS-T, HE-I/SD-T and TP-T. The APDS-T projectile has a blunt hollow nose with a glass-filled nylon sabot body enclosing a subcalibre tungsten penetrator. The sabot falls away from the penetrator soon after the projectile leaves the muzzle. A thin light-alloy windshield then provides ballistic efficiency for the blunt-nosed subcalibre penetrator, which is claimed to be capable of defeating twice the armour thickness of the full calibre 30 mm GAU-8/A API projectile at a range of 1,500 m. Muzzle velocity of the APDS-T projectile is 1,225 m/s and time of flight to 2,000 m is 1.87 seconds. Compared to the APDS-T, the HE-I/SD-T projectile has a more conventional streamlined profile and high-fragmentation steel body, with a point impact fuze screwed into the nose. The nose fuze contains a self-destruct element which functions after 7.9 seconds, while the projectile base contains an extrusion housing the tracer element. Muzzle velocity of the HE-I/SD-T projectile is 1,035 m/s and time of flight to 2,000 m is 2.96 seconds. The TP-T is a low-cost training round ballistically matched to the HE-I/SD-T. A ballistic windshield replaces the normal nose fuze and there is provision for an optional impact flash spotting charge. The tracer element is housed in a machined cavity in the projectile base. Mauser-produced rounds for the MK 30 and the German Arrow twin-barrelled air defence system include HE-I/SD-T, MP-T, SAPHEI-T, APDS-T, APFSDS, and TP or TP-T. The 30 × 173 mm Mauser round is based on the 30 × 173 mm Oerlikon Contraves round and was adopted for the Mauser MK 30 cannon.