2A42

Cartridge
 Fire Mode

The **2A42** and **2A72** are autocannons featured in Squad as vehicle armament for various vehicles.

## General Information

The 30 mm 2A42 autocannon was developed as a replacement for 2A28 Grom and had a dual feed. One is for HE-T and the other for AP-T rounds. The gunner can select one of two rates of fully automatic fire, low at 200 to 300 rds/min and high at 550 to 800 rds/min.

2A72 is the lighter simplified variant with a lower number of parts, a longer barrel, and higher muzzle velocity, but also a lower rate of fire. It is long recoil-operated, not gas-operated.

## Statistics

* 3UBR6 AP (2A42)
* 3UBR8 AP (2A42)
* 3UBR8 AP (2A72)
* 3UOR6 HE (2A42)
* 3UOR6 HE (2A72)

**3UBR6 AP (2A42)**

**3UBR8 AP (2A42)**

**3UBR8 AP (2A72)**

**3UOR6 HE (2A42)**

**3UOR6 HE (2A72)**

## Variants

* The 2A42/2A72 is available to two factions, the Russian Ground Forces and Middle Eastern Alliance.
* These vehicles are equipped with 2A42/2A72:
	+ BMP-2 (2A42)
	+ BTR-82A (2A72)

## Gameplay

* The effective range of the 2A42/2A72 is 3 kilometers with HE and 3 kilometers with AP.
* The only difference between 2A42 and 2A72 using the same round is that latter has a slower rate of fire and a smaller magazine. The ammo damage model and ballistics are the same.
	+ 2A42 carries 160 AP rounds and 300 HE rounds with a rate of fire of 550 RPM; 2A72 carries 150 AP and 150 HE with a fire rate of 330 RPM.
* The 2A42/2A72 has three types of ammunition available: 3UBR6 AP round, 3UBR8 AP round and 3UOR6 HE round.
	+ AP round is effective for anti-vehicles, while HE round is used for anti-infantry engagements.
	+ 3UBR8 AP is available for Russian Ground Forces BMP-2 and BTR-82A, while the older 3UBR6 AP is available only for Middle Eastern Alliance BMP-2.
* The 3UBR8 and 3UBR6 AP rounds can penetrate every vehicle in-game, including main battle tanks, if shooting from the side and rear.
	+ The gun can destroy lightly armored vehicles extremely effectively.
	+ 3UBR6 is the weaker one of the twins, which has considerably lower base damage and range than the M919 APFSDS round of M242 but shares a similar amount of penetration, which both are argurblly inferior to the British RARDEN/CTAS and Chinese DTC04A-30 APFSDS. It shares its damage model with the Chinese DTC10-30.
	+ 3UBR8 is a slightly improved APDS round with one of the higher damage, range, and accuracy in its class, though still weaker than the American M919 and British RARDEN/CTAS.
	+ The rate of fire of the 2A42 is 550 RPM, the highest of all autocannons, which makes up for the lower damage of the cartridges. On the other hand, 2A72 on the BTR-82A only has 330 RPM, which lowers the damage output considerably.
	+ The muzzle velocity for 3UBR8 and 3UBR6 is on the lower end of all autocannons, only beating out the Chinese DTC10-30.
* The 3UOR6 HE shares its damage model and penetration with other vehicle autocannons, specifically to the Chinese DTB02 round.
	+ There's no difference in regards to damage and ballistic performance between 3UOR6 on 2A42 and 2A72, though the former has the aforementioned advantages of a higher rate of fire and larger magazine.
	+ It has the slowest muzzle velocity and accuracy for all HE autocannon cartridges.
* Armour calculation involves many factors that are not limited to simple base damage and penetration. The slope of the armor, its thickness, the angle of hit, all of that matter when the game engine decides if damage has been dealt to the target.
	+ Prioritizing areas such as flat armor angles, side, tracks, turret, and rear areas, which are less effective against the autocannon AP.
	+ Do not use HE round to engage vehicles unless for last resort, as it has only 8 mm penetration, which cannot damage the vast majority of the armored vehicle in-game.
* In a skirmish, opening your fight with a disability attack is advised. Shooting the tracks or wheels of your enemy can severely disable their mobility. The disabled enemy vehicle will come to a halt and remain stationary, becoming an easy target for you to finish off. They are also more prone to flanking, allowing you to circle around and target their areas with thin armor.
	+ The enemy crew may attempt to leave the disabled vehicle and perform battlefield repair, leaving them valuable to fire from you and friendly infantry.
	+ It's also a great practice to disable the turret first, especially for heavier vehicles such as infantry fighting vehicles and main battle tanks. The disabled turret will lose the stabilizer function, turret traverse, and block their HUD with glass cracks.
* Aside from penetration, vehicle health is another crucial factor to consider. Consider the damage output of your vehicle and plan out the engagement with the tactical maneuvers. It's highly advised to engage the enemy while they're unaware of your position.
	+ Typically, American/British vehicles have more health than RedFor. But their autocannons have a slower fire rate.

## Trivia

* The 2A42 turret system is called 2A42 Cobra.

## See Also

* ZPT99
* BMP-2
* BTR-82A
* Weapons
* Vehicles