25 mm caliber

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Crewman relinking 25 mm rounds.

The 25 mm caliber is a standard size of heavy machine gun (specifically autocannon) ammunition for NATO forces. The round itself has a length of approximately 8.5 inches (216 mm) while the projectile is approximately 4.5 inches (114 mm).

1 Usage
2 Types of 25 mm ammunition
3 25 mm caliber weapons
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Usage

The 25 mm round can be used in both an anti-material and anti-personnel fashion. When operating in an infantry mode, a 25 mm weapon armed with HE rounds can effectively kill large numbers of opposing troops either in the open or in light fortifications. When operating in an anti-material mode, a 25 mm weapon armed with AP rounds can disable many aircraft and 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, and as a standard ship-based munition in the Mk 38 autocannon.

[edit] Types of 25 mm ammunition

Several sub-types of 25 mm ammunition are available — the most common being Armor Piercing, High explosive, sabot, tracer, and practice rounds. Cartridges are usually comprised of a combination of the aforementioned categories. For example, the M791 pictured to the right is an Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot with Tracer round. It is used against lightly armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery, and aerial targets such as helicopters and slow-moving, fixed-wing aircraft.