Mechanized gun body d 44.

85-mm D-44 divisional gun At the final stage of the Second World War, a need arose for a more powerful divisional gun than the 76-mm ZIS-3 gun. Various design bureaus have proposed several options for new guns designed to destroy engineering structures and enemy personnel, destroy armored vehicles and long-term firing points. In particular, the design bureau of plant No. 9 (Uralmash) under the leadership of chief designer F.F. Petrova in the second half of 1944 designed the 85-mm D-44 divisional gun. After military tests, the gun was put into service in 1946 under the name “85-mm divisional gun D-44.” One of its main creators is N.G. Kostrulin was awarded the Stalin Prize, 1st degree. The D-44 cannon is made according to the classical design of an artillery gun, its distinctive features are the compact placement of guidance mechanisms, the low height of the firing line and the possibility of transportation by mechanical traction at speeds of up to 60 km/h. The time it takes to transfer the gun from the traveling position to the combat position and back does not exceed one minute. The barrel of the serial D-44 cannon (factory designation - 52-P-367) consisted of a monoblock pipe, breech, coupling, muzzle brake and clip. The muzzle brake is an active type. The recoil brake is hydraulic. Recoil devices are placed in a clip above the barrel; when fired, they roll back with it. The normal rollback length is 580…660 mm, the maximum length is 675 mm. The shutter is a vertical wedge with semi-automatic mechanical (copier) type. The cradle was a cast cylindrical frame mounted on the upper machine of the carriage. A lifting mechanism is also mounted on it. The rotating mechanism is screw type. The balancing mechanism is a pusher type, with hydraulic air lock; it consisted of one column located to the left of the barrel. Sights: panoramic sight M71-7 or mechanical sight - S71-7, optical sights OP1-7, OP2-7, OP4-7 or OP4M-7. and mines, a shield cover is attached to the upper machine of the carriage. The lower carriage machine is equipped with two sliding tubular frames. The chassis is two-wheeled. Wheels - size 6.50-20 from a GAZ-AA truck, with a GK tire (filled with sponge rubber). The combat axle consisted of two straight axle shafts. The gun's suspension is torsion bar. The ammunition used is unitary cartridges with high-explosive fragmentation grenades (more than 12 types), coil-shaped sub-caliber projectiles, cumulative and smoke projectiles. The range of a direct shot of the BTS BR-367 at a target 2 m high is 1100 m. At a distance of 500 m, this projectile penetrates an armor plate 135 mm thick at an angle of 90°. The initial speed of the BR-365P BPS is 1050 m/s, armor penetration is 110 mm from a distance of 1000 m. Serial production of the D-44 was carried out at plant No. 9. From 1946 to 1954, 10,918 guns were manufactured. D-44 was in service with the armies of the participating countries Warsaw Pact and was exported. In the 60s licensed production guns under the designation “type 56” were mastered by China.

At the end of 1948, on the basis of the D-44, the D-48 anti-tank gun was created (put into service in 1953). In 1956, for the Airborne Forces, a 16-barreled 140-mm rocket was mounted on the carriage of the D-44 divisional gun. launcher RPU-14 (8U38).

High reliability and large reserves of 85-mm shells allow the D-44 cannon to still be in service with the Russian Armed Forces, used for combat training and during combat operations. Weight, kg: 1.725 t Length, mm: 8.34 meters Barrel length, mm: 55.1 calibers Width, mm: 1.68 meters (stowed position) Crew (crew), people: 7 Caliber, mm: 85 Elevation angle: -7° - +35° Rotation angle: 54° Rate of fire, rounds/min: 20-25 Initial projectile speed, m/s: 793 Maximum range, m: 15820 meters Sight: S71-7, OP2-7, OP4-7, OP4M-7, APN-2, APN3-7 At the final stage of the Great Patriotic War , when the Red Army switched to active offensive operations, the front urgently demanded a more powerful divisional gun than the standard 76-mm ZIS-3 cannon of the 1942 model. Go to
larger caliber prototype, manufactured at plant No. 92 (named after Stalin) in Gorky, received the designation “ZIS-D-44”.

In the second half of 1944 - at the beginning of 1945, the ZIS-D-44 gun underwent factory testing and fine-tuning already at plant No. 9. The modified version of the ZIS-D-44 arrived at the Gorokhovets training ground for field testing - on May 8, 1945. During testing, the gun showed a high rate of fire: with aiming correction at an angle of +20° - 15 rds/min, and the maximum rate of fire without aiming correction was up to 20 - 22 rds/min. However, the ZIS-D-44 gun did not withstand field tests, including due to unsatisfactory extraction of cartridges. And only after the end of the war, when the gun underwent repeated field tests and then military tests, in 1946 it was adopted by the Soviet army under the designation “85-mm divisional gun D-44.”

The D-44 cannon is made according to the classical design of an artillery gun; its distinctive features are the compact placement of guidance mechanisms, a low height of the firing line and the ability to be transported by mechanical traction with high speed movements. The barrel consisted of a monoblock pipe, breech, coupling, muzzle brake and clip. Along with the active muzzle brake, a significant part of the recoil force was absorbed by hydropneumatic recoil devices mounted in a holder above the barrel. When fired, they rolled back along with the barrel, while the normal length of the rollback was 580 - 660 mm, the maximum length was 675 mm. The gun had a vertical wedge breech with semi-automatic mechanical (copier) type. Its design and the use of unitary rounds as ammunition ensured a rate of fire with aiming correction of 13-15 rounds per minute, and a maximum rate of fire without aiming correction - up to 25 rounds per minute.

The barrel was placed in a cradle, which was a cast cylindrical cage mounted on the upper machine gun carriage. With the help of a lifting mechanism (which had one sector), also mounted on the upper machine, the barrel together with the cradle could rotate in a vertical plane in the angle range from -7° to +35°. The horizontal aiming angle provided by the screw-type rotating mechanism was 54°. The balancing mechanism was a pusher type, with hydraulic air locking, and consisted of one column located to the left of the barrel.

A panoramic sight or S71-7 sight, optical sights OP1-7, OP2-7, OP4-7 and OP4 M-7 were installed as sighting devices. Night sights APN-2 or APNZ-7 could also be used.

To protect the crew from small arms bullets and fragments of artillery shells and mines, a shield cover was attached to the upper machine. Two sliding tubular frames were mounted on the lower carriage machine. The height of the firing line was 825 mm. The chassis is two-wheeled; reinforced wheels from a GAZ-AA truck with tires filled with sponge rubber (GK) were used. The combat axle consisted of two straight axle shafts. The presence of torsion bar suspension made it possible to tow the gun with army trucks (6x6) or high-speed tracked tractors along the highway at speeds of up to 60 km/h.

The time for transferring the gun from the traveling position to the combat position and back did not exceed one minute. The ammunition of the D-44 gun included unitary rounds with high-explosive fragmentation grenades (more than 12 types), coil-shaped sub-caliber shells, cumulative and smoke shells. The firing range of a high-explosive fragmentation grenade weighing 9.54 kg (initial speed 793 m/sec) was 15,820 m. The armor-piercing caliber projectile of the D-44 cannon from a distance of 500 m at a target 2 m high at an angle of 90° pierced armor 135 mm thick, and at a range of 2000 m - 100 mm armor.

From 1945 to 1954, Plant No. 9 (Uralmash) produced more than 12,500 D-44 guns.

The 85-mm D-44 divisional gun was in service with the Soviet army and the armed forces of the Warsaw Pact countries, and was also exported. In 1948, on the basis of the D-44, the 85-mm anti-tank gun D-48 was created, which was adopted by the Soviet army in 1952. In 1954, another modification of this gun entered service with the Soviet Army - the 85-mm self-propelled gun SD-44, created at OKB-9 of Plant No. 9 at the end of 1948. The project for its creation provided that it would be transported over long distances by wheeled or tracked tractors, and its movement on the battlefield would be carried out independently with the help of auxiliary power plant. The SD-44 carriage differed from its prototype in that a 14-horsepower motorcycle engine, covered with a casing, was mounted on one of its frames. With. Torque from the engine was transmitted to the gun wheels through the driveshaft, differential and axle shafts.

The gearbox included in the transmission provided 6 forward gears and 2 reverse gears. A seat was also attached to the frame for one of the crew numbers, performing the functions of a driver, and a steering wheel, which controlled an additional, third, wheel mounted at the end of one of the frames. To illuminate the road in the dark, a headlight was installed at the ends of the frames, and to overcome particularly difficult sections of the path, the gun was equipped with an original device - a self-puller - a drum on wheels and a cable attached to a shield.

The weight of the SD-44 cannon in combat position increased to 2250 kg. In self-propulsion mode, the gun moved backward with its barrel, while it carried both the entire crew and part of the ammunition. On the highway, the SD-44 cannon reached speeds of up to 25 km/h, was capable of independently overcoming inclines up to 27°, fords up to 0.5 mm deep and snow drifts 0.30-0.65 m high. The cruising range on cobblestone pavements was 220 km.

Over long distances, the gun was towed by a wheeled or tracked tractor with a maximum speed of up to 60 km/h. From 1954 to 1957, Plant No. 9 converted D-44 cannons into self-propelled SD-44 cannons and produced approximately 700 new SD-44s. They entered service with the artillery units of the airborne divisions. For parachute landing of the SD-44, special landing platforms were developed.

In 1957, the gun underwent another modernization - 150 modified SD-44N guns were equipped with night sights. Currently, the D-44 cannon and its modifications continue to be in service with the Russian army.

Years of production: 1945 - 1957

In total, more than 12,500 units were produced.

Caliber - 85 mm

Weight in firing position - 1725 kg

Barrel length - 4685 mm

Length of the threaded part - 3496 mm

Calculation - 6 people

Travel speed - 60 km/h

Rate of fire - 25 rounds/min

Longest range shooting range – 15,820 m

Direct shot range - 1100 m
Firing angles:

Horizontal - 54°

Vertical - 7° +35°

The D-44 anti-tank gun of 85 mm caliber was designed at the design bureau of plant No. 9 (Uralmash). This weapon can destroy tanks, armored personnel carriers, self-propelled artillery guns, as well as other enemy armored vehicles. It can also be used to fire at armored caps, embrasures of wood-earth and long-term points, destroying manpower and fire weapons located behind light shelters or outside shelters.

The structural layout of the gun had classic scheme: the barrel and bolt are placed on a carriage.

The barrel is a monoblock pipe with a two-chamber muzzle brake, couplings and breech holder. The gun carriage includes: recoil devices, a balancing mechanism, a cradle, guidance mechanisms, an upper machine, the lower machine has suspension, wheels, frames, sighting devices and a shield cover.

An active muzzle brake, which is a massive hollow cylinder, is screwed onto the muzzle of the barrel. Windows (holes) are made on its generatrix. The semi-automatic wedge bolt is designed to lock the barrel bore and fire a shot. To fire the first shot, the shutter is opened manually; subsequently, after each shot, the shutter opens automatically. The cylindrical cast cradle is of the clip type and guides the barrel during retraction and retraction. The anti-recoil device includes a pneumatic retractor and a hydraulic recoil brake. A holder with sockets is attached to the cradle by welding, in which trunnions are placed that serve to connect to the upper machine. The frame (upper machine) serves as the basis for the swinging part of the implement. Nitrogen or air is pumped into the balancing mechanism. Normal pressure nitrogen (air) in the balancing mechanism: when the swinging part is fixed in a stowed manner from 54 to 64 kgf/cm2; at the highest elevation angle which is 35° from 50 to 60 kgf/cm2. To create a hydraulic lock, 0.5 liters of AC spindle oil is poured into the balancing mechanism. In the balancing mechanism, the pressure is regulated by a compensator when the air temperature changes within the range from -20° to +20°C.

The balancing mechanism with compensator is filled with AU spindle oil (0.6 liters). On the left side of the swinging part there are screw guidance mechanisms (rotary and lifting), a shield cover and a balancing mechanism. The rotating part of the gun was placed on the supporting shield, which was rigidly attached to the lower folding, rear and front armor plates and frame. A torsion bar suspension system for the chassis is mounted on the shield. The combat axle consists of two straight axle shafts. Reinforced wheels from GAZ-AA, had GK tires. Hollow sliding beds SD-44 have openers at the ends. They are hingedly connected to the supporting shield.

Normal pullback length:
- on a full charge from 580 to 660 millimeters;
- on a reduced charge from 515 to 610 millimeters;
- the maximum rollback length is 675 millimeters (marked with the inscription “Stop”).

For direct fire and from closed positions, the D-44 anti-tank gun is equipped with the S71-7 sight, optical sight OP1-7, OP2-7, OP4-7, OP4M-7. Also, night sights APN3-7 or APN-2 can be used. The mechanical C71-7 must be permanently attached to the gun; The panorama is taken and stored in a standard box.

The rate of fire of the D-44 anti-tank gun: at an angle of +20 degrees with aiming correction is 15 rounds per minute; at an angle of 0 degrees - 11-13 rounds per minute; maximum rate of fire 20 - 22 rounds per minute.

For firing, unitary-loading artillery rounds are used, having various projectiles: armor-piercing sub-caliber, cumulative fragmentation and high-explosive fragmentation.

Ammunition for the D-44 anti-tank gun:

The UO-367 and UO-365K rounds consist of a steel solid-body fragmentation projectile 0-365K, a head fuse, a steel (brass) cartridge case, a KV-4 primer sleeve is screwed into its bottom part, and a powder charge (the UO-365K has a full and UO-367 reduced charge).
UO-367A consists of a 0-367A projectile (solid-body fragmentation steel cast iron), a head fuse, a steel (brass) sleeve, a KV-4 primer sleeve is screwed into the bottom part and a reduced combat powder charge.
The UBR-365K consists of a BR-365K projectile (sharp-headed armor-piercing tracer), an MD-8 fuse with a tracer screwed into the bottom part, a steel (brass) sleeve, a KV-4 primer sleeve screwed into the bottom part and a powder combat full charge.
UBR-365 consists of a BR-365 projectile (a blunt-nosed armor-piercing tracer with a ballistic tip), an MD-7 fuse equipped with a tracer is screwed into the bottom end, a steel (brass) sleeve, a KV-4 primer sleeve is screwed into the bottom end and a complete combat powder charge.
UBR-367P consists of a BR-367P projectile (armor-piercing tracer sub-caliber with a ballistic tip), a tracer is screwed into the point of the bottom part of the projectile, a steel (brass) sleeve, a KV-4 primer sleeve is screwed into the point of its bottom part, a combat powder charge.
UBR-365P and UBR-367PK consist of a BR-365P tracer sub-caliber projectile, the tracer is screwed into the point of its bottom part, a steel (brass) sleeve, the KV-4 primer sleeve is screwed into the point of its bottom part, and a powder charge.
The UBR-365P differs from the UBR-367PK round only in the design of the charge.
UBK1 has a cumulative non-rotating projectile BK2 with tracer No. 9 and a head fuse GPV-1, a steel or brass sleeve, a KV-4 primer sleeve is screwed into its point, a combat igniter and charge placed in the sleeve and secured by a cylinder and a cardboard circle.
The UBK1M differs from the UBK1 shot only in that the BK2M has a copper cumulative funnel instead of a steel one.
The UD-367 has a smoke steel projectile D-367, a KTM-2 head fuse is screwed into the point of its head part, a steel (brass) sleeve, a KV-4 primer sleeve is screwed into the point of its bottom part, a combat reduced powder charge.
ZUD1 having a full charge and ZUD2 having a reduced charge, unlike UD-367, are equipped with a KTM-1-U fuse.
The PBR-367 shot with the PBR-367 projectile has the same device as the shot with armor-piercing shells. PBR-367 does not have a fuse and is not equipped with explosives.

Basic data:
starting speed fragmentation grenade(with reduced charge) – 655 m/s;
The initial speed of a fragmentation grenade (with a full charge) is 793 m/s;
The initial speed of the armor-piercing tracer is 800 m/s;
The initial speed of the sub-caliber armor-piercing tracer is 1050 m/s;
Full charge weight – 2.6 kilograms;
Weight of the reduced charge – 1.5 kilograms;
The mass of the fragmentation projectile is 9.54 kilograms;
The mass of the armor-piercing tracer projectile is 9.2 or 9.34 kilograms;
The mass of the sub-caliber armor-piercing tracer projectile is 4.99 kilograms;
The mass of the shot having high-explosive fragmentation projectile– 16.3 kilograms;
The mass of a shot with an armor-piercing tracer projectile is 15.68 kilograms;
The mass of a shot with a sub-caliber armor-piercing tracer projectile is 15.68 kilograms;
The maximum pressure of powder gases is 2550 kgf/cm;
The largest table range is 15820 meters.

In service with a separate anti-tank artillery division of a motorized rifle or tank regiment (two anti-tank artillery batteries consisting of two fire platoons) 6 pieces per battery (12 in a division).

Ammunition is unified with SD-44.

The standard means of propulsion for an anti-tank gun is GAZ-66 or GAZ-63.
Transport speed:
- off-road – 15 km/h.
- on country roads and cobblestone roads – 35 km/h;
- on asphalt roads – 60 km/h.

The D-44 PTP can be transported by air in cargo military transport aircraft An-12, Il-76, An-22.

To roll into position manually, a special roller is placed under the trunk part of the gun, secured in the stowed position and transported on frames.

Technical characteristics of the D-44 anti-tank gun:
Caliber - 85 millimeters;
Barrel length - 4685 millimeters (55 calibers);
The length of the rifled part of the barrel is 3496 millimeters (41 calibers);
Number of grooves – 24;
The volume of the charging chamber with a 0-365K fragmentation projectile is 3.94 dm3;
The height of the firing line is 825 mm;
Vertical guidance angle – -7° +35°;
Horizontal guidance angle – 54°;
System length – 8340 millimeters;
The height of the firing line is 825 millimeters;
Width – 1680 millimeters;
Height – 1420 millimeters;
Ground clearance - 350 millimeters;
Track width - 1434 millimeters;
Weight in combat position - 1725 kilograms;
Barrel with bolt - 718 kilograms;
Shutter - 31.6 kilograms;
Swinging part - 920 kilograms;
Recoil parts (barrel with recoil devices and bolt) - 785 kilograms;
Cradles - 99 kilograms;
Assembled rollback brakes – 42 kilograms;
Assembled knurling – 32 kilograms;
Balancing mechanism – 13 kilograms;
Assembled upper machine – 71 kilograms;
Assembled shield cover - 83 kilograms;
Assembled lower machine – 133 kilograms;
Hobby roller - 12.3 kilograms;
Wheels (with hub) – 81 kilograms;
Chassis (wheels, suspension and combat axle) - 222 kilograms;
Assembled carriage – 972 kilograms:
Ski installation - 170 kilograms;
Transfer from combat to traveling position – 1 minute;
The target rate of fire of the gun is 10-15 rounds per minute;
The maximum rate of fire of the gun is 20 rounds per minute;
Transportation speed on good roads is 60 km/h;
Transportation speed on cobblestones is 35 km/h;
Off-road transportation speed is 15 km/h.
Calculation – 5 people.

In 1946, the design created under the leadership of chief designer F.F. Petrov was put into service. 85-mm anti-tank gun D-44. This weapon would have been in great demand during the war, but its development was delayed for a number of reasons. Externally, the D-44 strongly resembled the German 75-mm anti-tank Pak 40.

From 1946 to 1954, 10,918 guns were manufactured at Plant No. 9 (Uralmash). The D-44s were in service with a separate anti-tank artillery division of a motorized rifle or tank regiment (two anti-tank artillery batteries consisting of two fire platoons), 6 pieces per battery (12 in the division).

The ammunition used is unitary cartridges with high-explosive fragmentation grenades, coil-shaped sub-caliber projectiles, cumulative and smoke projectiles. The range of a direct shot of the BTS BR-367 at a target 2 m high is 1100 m. At a distance of 500 m, this projectile penetrates an armor plate 135 mm thick at an angle of 90°. The initial speed of the BR-365P BPS is 1050 m/s, armor penetration is 110 mm from a distance of 1000 m. In 1957, night sights were installed on some of the guns, and a self-propelled modification was also developed SD-44, which could move on the battlefield without a tractor.

The barrel and carriage of the SD-44 were taken from the D-44 with minor changes. Thus, an M-72 engine from the Irbit Motorcycle Plant with a power of 14 hp, covered with a casing, was installed on one of the cannon frames. (4000 rpm) providing self-propulsion speeds of up to 25 km/h. Power transmission from the engine was provided through the driveshaft, differential and axle shafts to both wheels of the gun. The gearbox included in the transmission provided six forward gears and two reverse gears. The frame also has a seat for one of the crew numbers, which performs the functions of a driver. He has at his disposal a steering mechanism that controls an additional, third, gun wheel, mounted on the end of one of the frames. A headlight is installed to illuminate the road at night. Subsequently, it was decided to use the 85-mm D-44 as a divisional one to replace the ZiS-3, and to entrust the fight against tanks to more powerful artillery systems and ATGMs.

In this capacity, the weapon was used in many conflicts, including in the CIS. Extreme case combat use noted in the North Caucasus during the “counter-terrorist operation”.

The D-44 is still formally in service in the Russian Federation; a number of these guns are available in internal troops and in storage. On the basis of D-44, under the leadership of chief designer F. F. Petrov, a anti-tank 85-mm gun D-48. The main feature of the D-48 anti-tank gun was its exceptionally long barrel. To ensure the maximum initial velocity of the projectile, the barrel length was increased to 74 calibers (6 m, 29 cm). New unitary shots were created especially for this gun. An armor-piercing projectile at a distance of 1,000 m penetrated armor 150-185 mm thick at an angle of 60°. A sub-caliber projectile at a distance of 1000 m penetrates homogeneous armor 180–220 mm thick at an angle of 60°. The maximum firing range of high-explosive fragmentation projectiles weighing 9.66 kg. - 19 km. From 1955 to 1957, 819 copies of the D-48 and D-48N were produced (with an APN2-77 or APN3-77 night sight).

The guns entered service with individual anti-tank artillery divisions of a tank or motorized rifle regiment. As an anti-tank weapon, the D-48 gun quickly became outdated. In the early 60s of the 20th century, tanks with more powerful armor protection appeared in NATO countries. Negative trait The D-48 became an “exclusive” ammunition, unsuitable for other 85-mm guns. For firing from the D-48, the use of shots from the D-44, KS-1, 85-mm tank and self-propelled guns is also prohibited; this significantly narrowed the scope of use of the gun. In the spring of 1943, V.G. Grabin, in his memorandum addressed to Stalin, proposed, along with the resumption of production of the 57-mm ZIS-2, to begin designing a 100-mm cannon with a unitary shot, which was used in naval guns.

A year later, in the spring of 1944 100 mm field gun model 1944 BS-3 was put into production. Due to the presence of a wedge bolt with a vertically moving wedge with semi-automatic operation, the location of the vertical and horizontal aiming mechanisms on one side of the gun, as well as the use of unitary shots, the gun’s rate of fire is 8-10 rounds per minute. The cannon fired unitary cartridges with armor-piercing tracer shells and high-explosive fragmentation grenades. An armor-piercing tracer projectile with an initial speed of 895 m/s at a distance of 500 m at an impact angle of 90° penetrated armor 160 mm thick. The direct shot range was 1080 m. However, the role of this weapon in the fight against enemy tanks is greatly exaggerated. By the time of its appearance, the Germans practically did not use tanks on a massive scale.

During the war, BS-3 was released in small quantities and couldn’t play a big role. At the final stage of the war, 98 BS-3 were assigned as a means of strengthening five tank armies. The gun was in service with light artillery brigades of 3 regiments.

As of January 1, 1945, the RGK artillery had 87 BS-3 guns. At the beginning of 1945 in the 9th Guards Army in three rifle corps, one cannon artillery regiment of 20 BS-3s was formed. Mainly, thanks to its long firing range - 20,650 m and a fairly effective high-explosive fragmentation grenade weighing 15.6 kg, the gun was used as a hull gun to combat enemy artillery and suppress long-range targets.

BS-3 had a number of disadvantages that made it difficult to use as an anti-tank weapon. When firing, the gun jumped strongly, which made the gunner’s work unsafe and confused the sighting mounts, which, in turn, led to a decrease in practical tempo aimed shooting– very important quality for a field anti-tank gun. The presence of a powerful muzzle brake with a low height of the line of fire and flat trajectories characteristic of firing at armored targets led to the formation of a significant smoke and dust cloud, which unmasked the position and blinded the crew. The mobility of a gun with a mass of more than 3500 kg left much to be desired; transportation by crews to the battlefield was practically impossible.

After the war, the gun was in production until 1951 inclusive; a total of 3,816 BS-3 field guns were produced. In the 60s, the guns underwent modernization, this primarily concerned sights and ammunition. Until the early 60s, the BS-3 could penetrate the armor of any Western tank.

But with the advent of: M-48A2, Chieftain, M-60 - the situation has changed. New sub-caliber and cumulative projectiles were urgently developed. The next modernization took place in the mid-80s, when the 9M117 Bastion anti-tank guided projectile was added to the BS-3 ammunition load.

This weapon was also supplied to other countries and took part in many local conflicts in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, in some of them it is still in service. In Russia, until recently, BS-3 guns were used as a coastal defense weapon in service with the 18th machine gun and artillery division stationed on Kuril Islands, and also quite a significant amount of them are in storage.

Until the late 60s and early 70s of the last century, anti-tank guns were the main means of fighting tanks. However, with the advent of ATGMs with a semi-automatic guidance system, which only requires keeping the target in the sight's field of view, the situation has largely changed. Military leadership Many countries considered metal-intensive, bulky and expensive anti-tank guns an anachronism.

But not in the USSR. In our country development and production anti-tank guns continued in significant numbers. And at a qualitatively new level. In 1961 it entered service 100 mm smoothbore anti-tank gun T-12, developed at the design bureau of the Yurga Machine-Building Plant No. 75 under the leadership of V.Ya. Afanasyev and L.V. Korneeva.

The decision to make a smoothbore gun at first glance may seem quite strange; the time of such guns ended almost a hundred years ago. But the creators of the T-12 did not think so. In a smooth channel, you can make the gas pressure much higher than in a threaded channel, and accordingly increase initial speed projectile. In a rifled barrel, the rotation of the projectile reduces the armor-piercing effect of the jet of gases and metal during the explosion of the cumulative projectile. For a smoothbore gun, the survivability of the barrel is significantly increased - you don’t have to worry about the so-called “washing out” of the rifling fields.

The gun channel consists of a chamber and a cylindrical smooth-walled guide part. The chamber is formed by two long and one short (between them) cones. The transition from the chamber to the cylindrical section is a conical slope. The shutter is a vertical wedge with a semi-automatic spring. Loading is unitary. The carriage for the T-12 was taken from the 85-mm D-48 anti-tank rifled gun. In the 60s, a more convenient carriage was designed for the T-12 cannon. New system received an index MT-12 (2A29), and in some sources it is called “Rapier”.

The MT-12 went into mass production in 1970. As part of anti-tank artillery divisions motorized rifle divisions The USSR Armed Forces included two anti-tank artillery batteries, consisting of six 100-mm T-12 anti-tank guns (MT-12).

The T-12 and MT-12 guns have the same combat unit– a long, thin barrel 60 calibers long with a “salt shaker” muzzle brake. The sliding beds are equipped with an additional retractable wheel installed at the openers. The main difference of the modernized MT-12 model is that it is equipped with a torsion bar suspension, which is locked when firing to ensure stability. When rolling the gun manually, a roller is placed under the trunk part of the frame, which is secured with a stopper on the left frame.

Transportation of T-12 and MT-12 guns is carried out by a standard MT-L or MT-LB tractor. For movement on snow, the LO-7 ski mount was used, which made it possible to fire from skis at elevation angles of up to +16° with a rotation angle of up to 54°, and at an elevation angle of 20° with a rotation angle of up to 40°.

A smooth barrel is much more convenient for firing guided projectiles, although this was most likely not yet thought about in 1961. To combat armored targets, an armor-piercing sub-caliber projectile with a swept warhead with a high kinetic energy, capable of penetrating 215 mm thick armor at a distance of 1000 meters. The ammunition load includes several types of sub-caliber, cumulative and high-explosive fragmentation shells.

ZUBM-10 shot with an armor-piercing sabot projectile

ZUBK8 shot with a cumulative projectile When installing a special guidance device on the gun, you can use shots with the Kastet anti-tank missile. The missile is controlled semi-automatically by a laser beam, the firing range is from 100 to 4000 m. The missile penetrates armor behind dynamic protection (“reactive armor”) up to 660 mm thick.

9M117 missile and ZUBK10-1 shot For direct fire, the T-12 cannon is equipped with a day sight and night sights. With a panoramic sight it can be used as a field weapon from closed positions. There is a modification of the MT-12R cannon with a mounted 1A31 “Ruta” guidance radar.

MT-12R with radar 1A31 "Ruta" The gun was massively in service with the armies of the Warsaw Pact countries and was supplied to Algeria, Iraq and Yugoslavia. They took part in hostilities in Afghanistan, in the Iran-Iraq War, in armed conflicts in the territories former USSR and Yugoslavia. During these armed conflicts, 100 mm anti-tank guns are mainly used not against tanks, but as ordinary divisional or corps guns. The MT-12 anti-tank guns continue to be in service in Russia. According to the press center of the Ministry of Defense, on August 26, 2013, using an accurate shot with a cumulative UBK-8 projectile from the MT-12 "Rapier" cannon of the Yekaterinburg separate motorized rifle brigade The fire at well No. P23 ​​U1 near Novy Urengoy was extinguished by the Central Military District.

The fire started on August 19 and quickly turned into an uncontrollable fire breaking through faulty fittings natural gas. The artillery crew was transferred to New Urengoy by a military transport aircraft taking off from Orenburg. At the Shagol airfield, equipment and ammunition were loaded, after which the artillerymen under the command of a control officer missile forces and artillery of the Central Military District, Colonel Gennady Mandrichenko, were delivered to the scene.

The gun was set for direct fire from the minimum permissible distance of 70 m. The target diameter was 20 cm. The target was successfully hit.

In 1967, Soviet experts came to the conclusion that the T-12 gun “does not provide reliable destruction of the Chieftain tanks and the promising MVT-70. Therefore, in January 1968, OKB-9 (now part of Spetstekhnika JSC) was ordered to develop a new, more powerful anti-tank gun with the ballistics of the 125-mm D-81 smoothbore tank gun.

The task was difficult to complete, since the D-81, having excellent ballistics, gave strong recoil, which was still tolerable for a tank weighing 40 tons. But during field tests, the D-81 fired a 203-mm B-4 howitzer from a tracked carriage. It is clear that such an anti-tank gun weighing 17 tons and a maximum speed of 10 km/h was out of the question. Therefore, the recoil in the 125 mm gun was increased from 340 mm (limited by the dimensions of the tank) to 970 mm and a powerful muzzle brake was introduced. This made it possible to install a 125-mm cannon on a three-frame carriage from the serial 122-mm D-30 howitzer, which allowed all-round firing.

The new 125-mm gun was designed by OKB-9 in two versions: the towed D-13 and the self-propelled SD-13 (“D” is the index of artillery systems designed by V.F. Petrov).

The development of SD-13 was 125-mm smoothbore anti-tank gun "Sprut-B" (2A-45M). The ballistic data and ammunition of the D-81 tank gun and the 2A-45M anti-tank gun were the same.

The 2A-45M gun had a mechanized system for transferring it from the combat position to the traveling position and back, consisting of a hydraulic jack and hydraulic cylinders. Using a jack, the carriage was raised to a certain height, necessary for spreading or bringing together the beds, and then lowered to the ground. Hydraulic cylinders lift the gun to maximum ground clearance, as well as raise and lower the wheels. "Sprut-B" is towed by a "Ural-4320" vehicle or an MT-LB tractor. In addition, for self-propulsion on the battlefield, the gun has a special power unit based on the MeMZ-967A engine with hydraulic drive. The engine is located on the right side of the gun under the casing. On the left side of the frame, the driver's seats and the gun control system for self-propulsion are installed. Maximum speed at the same time, on dry dirt roads - 10 km/h, and transportable ammunition - 6 rounds; Fuel range is up to 50 km.

The ammunition load of the 125-mm Sprut-B cannon includes separate-case-loading rounds with cumulative, sub-caliber and high-explosive fragmentation shells, as well as anti-tank missiles. The 125-mm VBK10 round with the BK-14M ​​cumulative projectile can hit tanks of the M60, M48, and Leopard-1A5 types. VBM-17 shot with a sub-caliber projectile - tanks of the M1 Abrams, Leopard-2, Merkava MK2 type.

The VOF-36 round with the OF26 high-explosive fragmentation projectile is designed to destroy manpower, engineering structures and other targets. With special guidance equipment, the 9S53 Sprut can fire ZUB K-14 rounds with 9M119 anti-tank missiles, which are controlled semi-automatically by a laser beam, the firing range is from 100 to 4000 m. The mass of the shot is about 24 kg, the missiles are 17.2 kg, it penetrates armor behind dynamic protection with a thickness of 700–770 mm.

Currently, towed anti-tank guns (100- and 125-mm smoothbore) are in service with countries - former republics of the USSR, as well as a number of developing countries. The armies of leading Western countries have long abandoned special anti-tank guns, both towed and self-propelled. Nevertheless, it can be assumed that towed anti-tank guns have a future. The ballistics and ammunition of the 125-mm Sprut-B cannon, unified with the guns of modern main tanks, are capable of hitting any production tank in the world.

An important advantage of anti-tank guns over ATGMs is a wider selection of means of destroying tanks and the ability to hit them at point-blank range. In addition, Sprut-B can also be used as a non-anti-tank weapon. Its OF-26 high-explosive fragmentation projectile is close in ballistic data and explosive mass to the OF-471 projectile of the 122-mm A-19 hull gun, which became famous in the Great Patriotic War.

The Soviet 85-mm divisional gun D-44 is a universal artillery system designed to destroy military targets and enemy fortifications in the front line, to destroy armored vehicles and support infantry during an offensive.

History of the creation of the D-44 gun and mass production

Soviet field artillery designers, even at the final stage of the Great Patriotic War, began to develop a fundamentally new artillery system divisional level. Despite the fact that the 76-mm ZiS-3 cannon, which was in service, became the main field weapon of the Red Army during the war, it performance characteristics and ballistic properties left much to be desired. The troops needed a powerful, long-range field gun capable of strengthening firepower divisions and corps.

The Soviet 85-mm D-44 cannon, created at the Design Bureau of Plant No. 9, became such a means of reinforcement. Design work, which began in 1944, was headed by the famous Soviet designer F.F. Petrov. Six months later, the new gun was ready for testing and presented to the attention of the state commission. In 1946, a new weapon, called the 85-mm divisional gun D-44, was adopted by Soviet artillery units.

Only one enterprise in the USSR was engaged in the manufacture of guns - plant No. 9, the current Uralmash. A total of 10,918 guns were manufactured from 1946 to 1954.

Technical parameters and tactical characteristics of the D-44 gun

• Calculation - 6 people.
• Combat weight - 1.72 tons.
• Loading is unitary.
• The initial speed of an armor-piercing tracer projectile is 800 m/s.
• Rate of fire: 20-25 rds/min.
• Maximum firing range - 15820 m.
• The range of a direct shot with an armor-piercing tracer projectile is 1100 m.
• Armor penetration with an armor-piercing tracer projectile: at a distance of 1000 m - 100 mm.
• The mass of a shot with an armor-piercing tracer projectile is 15.68 kg.
• Main types of ammunition: high-explosive fragmentation, armor-piercing tracer shells.
• Transfer time from traveling to combat position: 40-60 seconds.
• Transportation method: transported by Ya-12, MT-L and MTLB tractors, and trucks.

The gun began to enter service with artillery units Soviet army in the post-war years. The bulk of the new guns were supplied to the artillery units of the Western Group of Forces in Germany, where Soviet troops opposed the tank units of the allied states.

The combat use of the 85-mm divisional gun D-44 model 1946 was noted in a number of armed conflicts in the second half of the 20th century. This is participation in Korean War, the Indo-Pakistani conflict and the Arab-Israeli wars.

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