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20mm Cannon Ammunition

Aircraft using the M61A1 20mm cannon include the F/A-18 and the F-14. The Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) is a fast-reaction, rapid-fire 20-millimeter gun system that provides US Navy ships with a terminal defense against anti-ship missiles that have penetrated other fleet defenses. Designed to engage anti-ship cruise missiles and fixed-wing aircraft at short range, Phalanx automatically engages functions usually performed by separate, independent systems such as search, detection, threat evaluation, acquisition, track, firing, target destruction, kill assessment and cease fire.

• M39
• M50
• M53 API
• M56 HEI
• M56A3 HE/I
• M210 HEI
• M242 HE-I-T
• M246 HEIT-SD
• M246 HEI-T
• M601 API-T
• M775 API-T
• M940 MPT-SD
• Mk 149 (Mod2, 4) CIWS
• Oerlikon S
• PGU-28/B SAP-HE
• U.S. Navy Mark 100

The 20mm Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot (APDS), Depleted Uranium sub-caliber penetrator was changed to Tungsten in 1988.

Sources and Resources

• 20mm Ammunition Team - @ Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC)

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