MOSCOW, July 14 (RIA Novosti) - Russian paratroopers are to receive more than 800 30-millimeter 2A42 automatic cannons by the end of the year, military spokesman Yevgeny Meshkov said Monday.
“About 800 new 30-millimeter [2А42] automatic cannons will be delivered to paratrooper units by the end of 2014,” Meshkov said.
The procurement of the new hardware is connected to the routine replacement of a BMD-2 airborne infantry-fighting vehicle currently employed by Russian paratroopers.
Meshkov noted that in the near future paratroopers are to gradually replace expired hardware.
The 2А42 automatic cannon is designed to shoot at light armored targets up to 1,500 meters away, and anti-tank guided missile launchers and enemy troops up to 4,000 meters away. The cannon can also shoot at airborne targets travelling at subsonic speeds at altitudes of up to 2,000 meters.
