thumb|300px|25×137mm M793 target practice with tracer (TP-T) rounds for the MK-38 being inspected

25 mm caliber is a range of autocannon ammunition. It includes the NATO standardized Swiss 25×137mm, the Swiss 25×184mm, the Soviet 25x218mmSR, and the Chinese 25×183mmB.

Usage

The 25 mm round can be used for anti-materiel or anti-personnel purposes. In the anti-personnel role, a 25 mm HE round can kill large numbers of opposing troops either in the open or in light fortifications. In the anti-materiel role, a 25 mm weapon armed with armor-piercing rounds can disable many types of aircraft and ground vehicles, including some main battle tanks.

The US military uses 25 mm weapons in their AV-8B Harrier, AC-130 gunship, M2 Bradley, LAV-25, F-35 Lightning II and as a standard ship-based munition in the Mk 38 autocannon.

Types of 25 mm ammunition

thumb|Japanese 25×163mm ammunition from a post-war US technical manual

thumb|A diagram of the M791 25×137mm round

Several sub-types of the NATO 25 mm ammunition are available—the most common being armor-piercing, high-explosive, sabot, tracer, and practice rounds. Cartridges are usually composed of a combination of the aforementioned categories. For example, the M791 is an armor-piercing discarding sabot with tracer (APDS-T) round. It is used against lightly armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery, and aerial targets such as helicopters and slow-moving fixed-wing aircraft.

25 mm weapons

Current weapons

{| class="wikitable"

! style="width: 100px;" | Weapon

! style="width: 150px;" | Country of origin

! style="width: 150px;" | Designer

! style="width: 100px;" | Cartridge

! style="width: 150px;" | Type

|-

| Oerlikon KBA

|

| Rheinmetall AG

| 25×137mm

| Autocannon

|-

| M242 Bushmaster

|

| Hughes Helicopters

| 25×137mm

| Chain gun

|-

| GAU-12/22 Equalizer

|

| General Electric

| 25×137mm

| Rotary cannon

|-

| GIAT M811

|

| GIAT Industries

| 25×137mm

| Autocannon

|-

| SENTINEL 20

|

| Escribano

| 25×137mm

| RWS

|-

| Oerlikon KBB

|

| Rheinmetall AG

| 25×184mm

| Autocannon

|-

| Oerlikon KBD

|

| Rheinmetall AG

| 25×184mm

| Autocannon

|-

| Type 61

|

|

| 25×218mmSR

| Anti-aircraft autocannon

|-

| Type 95 SPAAA

|

|

| 25×183mmB

| Anti-aircraft autocannon

|-

| ZPT-90

|

|

| 25×183mmB

| Autocannon

|}

Historical weapons

{| class="wikitable"

! style="width: 100px;" | Weapon

! style="width: 150px;" | Country of origin

! style="width: 150px;" | Designer

! style="width: 100px;" | Cartridge

! style="width: 150px;" | Type

|-

| 25 mm Hotchkiss anti-aircraft gun/Type 96 25 mm AT/AA gun

|

| Hotchkiss et Cie

| 25×163mm

| Anti-aircraft autocannon

|-

| 25 mm Hotchkiss anti-tank gun

|

| Hotchkiss et Cie

| 25×193.5mmR

| Anti-tank gun

|-

| 25 mm M1940 anti-aircraft gun

|

| Mikhail Loginov and Lev Loktev

| 25×218mmSR

| Anti-tank gun

|-

| 25 mm Bofors M/32 anti-aircraft gun

|

| Bofors

| 25x205mmR (initial) or 25x187mmR (later)

| Anti-aircraft autocannon

|}

See also

  • 14.5×114mm
  • 20 mm caliber
  • 23 mm caliber
  • 25 mm grenade
  • 30 mm caliber
  • List of cartridges (weaponry), pistol and rifle

Further reading

  • U.S. Army Field Manual 3-22.1

References

  • Federation of American Scientists: 25mm Ammunition
  • UXO Safety Information