Buk missile system vs M230 chain gun: Specs Compared

AArtillery

Buk missile system

Medium range SAM system

Credit

Vitaly V. Kuzmin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗ · Modified

M230 chain gun — licensed reference photograph

BArtillery

M230 chain gun

Chain gun

Credit

Yari Samurai · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗ · Modified

First system

Second system

At a glance

Side by side

Length comparisonOne shared metre scale

Buk missile systemLength

5.55 m

Length source ↗

M230 chain gunLength

2.181 m

Length source ↗

Lengths retain their source configuration and measurement scope.

Buk missile systemlarger figure on 1 of 1

Length+154%

M230 chain gunlarger figure on 0 of 1

None

Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.

Measured figures

Head to head

11 of 46 rows sourced on both sides

5.55m

2.18m

Length+154%

All recorded figures & sources

5.55 m

Length

Single source

5,550 millimetres (18 ft 3 in)^[source]

2.181 m

Length

Single source

2,181 mm (85.9 in)^[source]

—

277mm

Width

All recorded figures & sources

0.2772 m

Width

Single source

277.2 mm (10.9 in)^[source]

—

289mm

Height

All recorded figures & sources

0.2888 m

Height

Single source

288.8 mm (11.4 in)^[source]

860mm

—

Diameter

All recorded figures & sources

0.86 m

Diameter

Single source

0.4 m

wingspan

Single source

400 mm ( 15 + 3 ⁄ 4 in); wingspan 860 mm (2 ft 10 in)^[source]

715kgMass · source measurement 2

59.5kg

Mass

All recorded figures & sources

690 kg

Mass · source measurement 1

Single source

715 kg

Mass · source measurement 2

Single source

690 kg (1,520 lb), 715 kg (1,576 lb)^[source]

59.5 kg

Mass

Single source

59.5 kg (130 lb)^[source]

30kmOperational; Operational range

4kmMaximum; Maximum firing range

RangeScopes differ

All recorded figures & sources

30 km

Operational; Operational range

Single source

30 kilometres (19 mi)^[source]

0.3 km

Effective; Effective firing range

Single source

4 km

Maximum; Maximum firing range

Single source

300 m (328 yd)^[source]

4,000 m (4,370 yd)^[source]

70kgWarhead weight

—

Warhead mass

All recorded figures & sources

70 kg

Warhead weight

Single source

70 kg (150 lb)^[source]

—

30mmcaliber

Calibre

All recorded figures & sources

30 mm

caliber

Single source

30 millimetres (1.18 in) caliber^[source]

—

805m/s

Muzzle velocity

All recorded figures & sources

805 m/s

Muzzle velocity

Single source

805 m/s (2,641 ft/s)^[source]

Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.

Configuration

Details

Buk missile system and M230 chain gun configuration
Specification	Buk missile system	M230 chain gun
Speed	Mach 3^[source]	—
Type	Medium range SAM system^[source]	Chain gun^[source]
Place of origin	Soviet Union; later Russia^[source]	United States^[source]
In service	1980–present^[source]	1983–present^[source]
Used by	9K37 Buk § Operators^[source]	United States, and other countries^[source]
Wars	Russo-Georgian War Russo-Ukrainian War War in Donbas Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present) Second Nagorno-Karabakh War 2026 United States intervention in Venezuela^[source]	Persian Gulf War War in Afghanistan Iraq War^[source]
Designer	Almaz-Antey : Tikhomirov NIIP (lead designer) Lyulev Novator (SA missile designer) MNIIRE Altair (naval version designer) NIIIP (surveillance radar designer) DNPP (missiles) UMZ (TELARs) MZiK (TELs) Kalashnikov : MMZ ( GM chassis )^[source]	Hughes Helicopters^[source]
Designed	1972^[source]	1973^[source]
Variants	Land: 9K37 "Buk" 9K37M 9K37M1 "Buk-M1" 9K37M1-2 "Buk-M1-2" 9K37M1-2A 9K317 "Buk-M2" 9K317M "Buk-M3" Naval: 3S90 (M-22) 3S90M 3S90E.1^[source]	M230LF^[source]
Warhead	Frag-HE^[source]	—
Detonation mechanism	Radar proximity fuse^[source]	—
Propellant	Solid propellant rocket^[source]	—
Flight altitude	14,000 metres (46,000 ft)^[source]	—
Guidance system	Semi-active radar homing^[source]	—
Launch platform	§ System composition^[source]	—
Manufacturer	—	Hughes Helicopters (1975–1985) McDonnell Douglas Helicopters (1985–2002) Alliant Techsystems (2002–2015) Orbital ATK (2015–2018) Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (from 2018)^[source]
Produced	—	Since 1975^[source]
Shell	—	30×113 mmB M788 Target Practice (TP) M789 High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) M799 High Explosive Incendiary (HEI)^[source]
Action	—	Open bolt^[source]
Rate of fire	—	625±25 rpm^[source]
Reported operators	Reported operator · Algeria Reported operator · Armenia Reported operator · Azerbaijan Reported operator · Belarus Reported operator · Cyprus Reported operator · Egypt Reported operator · Georgia Reported operator · India Reported operator · Kazakhstan Reported operator · Iran Reported operator · North Korea Reported operator · Pakistan Reported operator · People's Republic of China Reported operator · Russia Reported operator · Ukraine Reported operator · Venezuela	—

FORCETALLY

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Buk missile system

M230 chain gun

Speed

Mach 3^[source]

—

Type

Medium range SAM system^[source]

Chain gun^[source]

Place of origin

Soviet Union; later Russia^[source]

United States^[source]

In service

1980–present^[source]

1983–present^[source]

Used by

9K37 Buk § Operators^[source]

United States, and other countries^[source]

Wars

Russo-Georgian War Russo-Ukrainian War War in Donbas Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present) Second Nagorno-Karabakh War 2026 United States intervention in Venezuela^[source]

Persian Gulf War War in Afghanistan Iraq War^[source]

Designer

Almaz-Antey : Tikhomirov NIIP (lead designer) Lyulev Novator (SA missile designer) MNIIRE Altair (naval version designer) NIIIP (surveillance radar designer) DNPP (missiles) UMZ (TELARs) MZiK (TELs) Kalashnikov : MMZ ( GM chassis )^[source]

Hughes Helicopters^[source]

Designed

1972^[source]

1973^[source]

Variants

Land: 9K37 "Buk" 9K37M 9K37M1 "Buk-M1" 9K37M1-2 "Buk-M1-2" 9K37M1-2A 9K317 "Buk-M2" 9K317M "Buk-M3" Naval: 3S90 (M-22) 3S90M 3S90E.1^[source]

M230LF^[source]

Warhead

Frag-HE^[source]

—

Detonation mechanism

Radar proximity fuse^[source]

—

Propellant

Solid propellant rocket^[source]

—

Flight altitude

14,000 metres (46,000 ft)^[source]

—

Guidance system

Semi-active radar homing^[source]

—

Launch platform

§ System composition^[source]

—

Manufacturer

—

Hughes Helicopters (1975–1985) McDonnell Douglas Helicopters (1985–2002) Alliant Techsystems (2002–2015) Orbital ATK (2015–2018) Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (from 2018)^[source]

Produced

—

Since 1975^[source]

Shell

—

30×113 mmB M788 Target Practice (TP) M789 High Explosive Dual Purpose (HEDP) M799 High Explosive Incendiary (HEI)^[source]

Action

—

Open bolt^[source]

Rate of fire

—

625±25 rpm^[source]

Reported operators

Reported operator · Algeria
Reported operator · Armenia
Reported operator · Azerbaijan
Reported operator · Belarus
Reported operator · Cyprus
Reported operator · Egypt
Reported operator · Georgia
Reported operator · India
Reported operator · Kazakhstan
Reported operator · Iran
Reported operator · North Korea
Reported operator · Pakistan
Reported operator · People's Republic of China
Reported operator · Russia
Reported operator · Ukraine
Reported operator · Venezuela

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