The largest guns in the history of mankind. The largest cannon in the world

EQUIPMENT AND WEAPONS No. 7/2009, pp. 32-42

A.F. Ryabets,

Leading engineer of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "TsKB "Titan".

Photos and diagrams provided by Federal State Unitary Enterprise "TsKB "Titan"

Artillery of the largest calibers

Before we begin the story about the unique development of a 650-mm gun for testing aerial bombs in SKB-221, it is necessary to recall previous events directly related to it.

In the early 1950s. there were several systems worthy of the attention of designers on the essence of the issue: a German 800-mm cannon on a railway installation (“Heavy Gustav” - after the name of the director of the Krupp company, replaced by “Dora” - the name of the place where the garrison with this gun was stationed), American stationary 914-mm gun “Little David”1, as well as variants of large-caliber guns in the USSR.

After the victory in the USSR, numerous engineering commissions were organized to study the weapons and equipment of the defeated fascist Germany. Much later came in handy, although opinions varied. So, Guard Artillery Lieutenant General V.I. Voznyuk, who was the chairman of the commission for the study of jet weapons, reported: “There is nothing new for us!” A similar conclusion was made by a commission from the Rzhevka training ground under the leadership of Colonel N.D. Fedyushin after studying the components of one of the 800-mm railway guns delivered to the USSR.

Components of the exploded Dora and captured charges for it.

For almost four years, parts of the captured gun lay waste near Leningrad. In 1950, by order of D.F. Ustinov, these units were transported to Stalingrad to the Barrikady plant to study and use the barrel in new developments.

About developments at TsNII-58

V.G. Grabin included in the list of his projects for 1947 topic 09-25 “650-mm smoothbore gun for testing aerial bombs”2. In this regard, he began studying materials on “Dora” and the American 914-mm mortar “Little David”.

Grabin’s close attention to methods of delivering aerial bombs to targets was not accidental. Immediately after the Great Patriotic War The United States began creating a huge ocean-going fleet, which was planned to include dozens of aircraft carriers, battleships and cruisers. To combat them, fortress guns firing armor-piercing aerial bombs could be used.

After the study of topic 09-25, the USSR Council of Ministers Resolution No. 968-371 of March 9, 1949 followed, according to which TsNII-58 was tasked with developing a smooth-bore gun with a replaceable barrel of 650 and 400 mm caliber, and the “ammunition” GSKB-47 of the Ministry of Agricultural Engineering - 15 00 kg aerial bomb “Albatross-3” and 650 kg bomb “Albatross-1”.

The design drawings for the 650-mm gun were indexed S-76, and the 400-mm gun was indexed S-773. The project involved the manufacture of two separate barrels - 400 mm (for BRAB 1500) and 650 mm (for BRAB 3000), tightly closed from the treasury. Loading had to be done from the muzzle. Through a special ball bearing in the breech, the barrel rested on a massive reinforced concrete foundation. At the defense of the draft design, representatives of the Naval Engineering and Aviation Service Directorate and NII-13 rejected the Grabin project due to "with the complexity of manufacturing." Subsequently, already in 1968, to the question asked by V.G. To Grabin by the journalist of the Smena magazine E. Mesyatsev, “were ultra-long-range guns like “Fat Bertha” or “Dora” in service in the Soviet artillery forces?”, the famous designer answered like this: “...Our design bureau had to design a 650-mm gun. I must say that it is very difficult to make such guns- one weapon requires a whole factory, and the need for them, as practice has shown, is small.”4

Topic BR-101

But bombing with large-caliber guns was not forgotten. At the end of the 1940s. This method became interested in the head of the subdepartment of the Naval Artillery Central Design Bureau (MATSKB, since 1948 - TsKB-34), the future head of SKB-221 G.I. Sergeev.

While working in Leningrad, he repeatedly met with his friend from Taganrog E.N. Preobrazhensky (they did an internship together at the G.M. Beriev Design Bureau). By this time, Evgeniy Nikolaevich was a Hero Soviet Union(awarded for bombing Berlin in 1941), with the rank of Colonel General of Aviation, he was Commander-in-Chief of Naval Aviation (1950). He was interested in the quality of air throwing of new modifications of aircraft bombs, and consulted with Georgy Ivanovich on the issue of using ordinary land guns for test bombing, since dropping bombs from aircraft in this case is much more expensive. But the main thing is that during testing you need to accurately hit the armored target and penetrate it, but hitting a point target even from a small height is a serious problem5. You also need to carefully inspect and measure the target after each penetration, to determine the nature of the interaction of penetrating ammunition with the obstacle. In the absence of any theoretical work, including the theory of similarity, the only way to simulate the situation in those years was shooting from artillery systems.

Editorial Help 800 mm railway gun "Dora" ("Heavy Gustav") In 1936, the Krupp company began developing a super-powerful gun to combat the fortifications of the French Maginot Line. It was alleged that this was a personal order from Hitler. The Wehrmacht High Command issued an order when the preliminary design was ready in 1937. The range was supposed to reach 35-45 km, which met the requirements for long-range artillery, but the gun was not classified as “ultra-long-range”. Gustav Krupp (formally, his wife Bertha, who owned the main stake) allocated 10 million Reichsmarks for the implementation of the order. The development was led by Erich Müller, nicknamed “Müller Cannon”. The gun received the unofficial name “Heavy Gustaw” (Schwerer Gustaw). By the time the first 80-cm railway installation (80-cm Kanone (Eisenbahn)) was assembled in 1941, the Maginot Line, as well as the fortifications of Belgium and Czechoslovakia, were in German hands. They wanted to use the gun against the British fortifications of Gibraltar, but it was necessary to install through Spain, which did not meet either the carrying capacity of the bridges or the intentions of dictator Franco. Test firing of the first gun (still without some mechanisms) was carried out at the training ground in Hillersleben (Saxony) in September-October 1941, of a fully assembled gun - in November- December in Rügenwald (Pomerania). The length of the gun barrel is 40.6 calibers (32.48 m), the weight of the barrel is 400 tons. Separate loading - the main charge in a metal sleeve (for obturation), additional charges in caps. A high-explosive projectile weighing 4.8 tons carried 700 kg of explosives, a concrete-piercing projectile weighing 7.1 tons carried 250 kg, the charges for them weighed 2 and 1.85 tons. The initial speed of the projectiles was 820 and 710 m/s, respectively, the firing range was up to 47 and up to 38 km. The concrete-piercing projectile penetrated steel armor up to 1 m thick, 8 m of reinforced concrete plus a layer of earth up to 32 m thick. The projectile had a body made of chromium-nickel steel, a leading belt, and a ballistic tip. The length of the concrete-piercing projectile without a ballistic tip is 2.54 m, the length of the tip is 1.54 m. The bolt is a horizontal wedge. The opening of the bolt and the delivery of shells was carried out by hydraulic devices. Recoil devices are pneumohydraulic. The cradle under the barrel was mounted between two supports, each of which occupied one railway track and rested on four five-axle platforms. The vertical guidance mechanism was electrically driven. Two electric lifts with carts were used to supply shells and charges: the left one was for shells, the right one was for charges. Three trains were required to transport all parts (the barrel was transported on three platforms). Components of the exploded Dora at the Barricades plant. To mount the gun in position, the railway track was branched through switches, laying four curved parallel branches. The bend allowed horizontal guidance. The gun supports were driven onto the two inner branches, and two 110-ton Ardelt overhead cranes, necessary for assembling the gun, moved along the outer ones. The position occupied an area 4120-4370 m long. The assembled gun was moved by two diesel locomotives with a power of 1050 hp. every. Preparing the position and assembling the gun took from one and a half to six and a half weeks. The total mass of the assembled installation is 1350 tons, length - 47.97 m, width - 7.1 m, height (at a barrel elevation angle of 0°) - 11.6 m. Elevation angle - up to 53°. Rate of fire - up to 3 shots per hour. In February 1942, the first gun, known as the Dora (or D-Great), was sent to the Crimea for combat testing at the disposal of the 11th Army. The main task was the shelling of Soviet 305-mm armored turrets coastal batteries No. 30 and No. 35, besieged Sevastopol, the city’s port facilities, ammunition depots hidden in the rocks. "Dora" is in a firing position. The operation of the gun was carried out by the separate 672nd heavy railway artillery division (Schwere Artillerie-Abteilung (E) 672), formed in January 1942. The crew of the gun was about 500 people, but with a guard battalion, a transport battalion, two trains for transporting ammunition, an energy train, field bakery, commandant's office accounted for up to 1,420 people per installation. In Crimea, the installation was given a group of military police, a chemical unit for setting up smoke screens and a reinforced anti-aircraft division - aviation was considered the main enemy of railway artillery. In total, 4,370 people ensured the operation of the gun. The position was equipped by June near Bakhchisarai, 20 km from Sevastopol. An entry appeared in the combat diary of the 54th Army Corps on June 6: "Dora" fired at the Molotov fort with seven shells, and Sukharnaya Balka with eight shells. There was a large burst of fire and a cloud of smoke." Another entry: “A call came from the headquarters of the “South” group. The Fuhrer noted that shooting at the Sukharnaya Balka ammunition depot was not a target for Dora, since it was intended primarily for the destruction of reinforced concrete structures. The Fuhrer allows Dora to fire only at such targets. The headquarters of the 11th Army did not report any shooting at the ammunition depot. Perhaps to headquarters ground forces one of the gentlemen representing this headquarters reported about this.” From June 5 to June 17, the gun fired 48 shots, mostly with concrete-piercing shells (according to other sources, 48 ​​with concrete-piercing shells and five with high-explosive shells). Together with field tests, this amounted to about 300 shots and exhausted the life of the barrel. The weapon was taken away. Some sources indicate that five shells hit the intended targets. Researchers argue about the effectiveness of the shooting, but agree that it did not correspond to the size and cost of the 80-cm “monster”, and that the old elongated 21-cm field mortars would have played a big role. They intended to transfer the gun to Leningrad, but did not have time to do this. Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach Krupp hastened to show his loyal feelings and on July 24, 1942, wrote to Hitler: "My Fuhrer! The large weapon, which was created on your personal orders, has now proven its effectiveness. It writes a glorious page in the history of the Krupp factories... Following the example set by Alfred Krupp in 1870, my wife and I ask as a favor that the Krupp factories be allowed not to charge for this first copy.”“Unselfishness” could not last long: for the next copies, the Krupp company received seven million Reichsmarks. General Guderian recalled that at the display of the Heavy Gustav 2 (or Gerat 2) gun on March 19, 1943 in Rügenwald senior management Wehrmacht and the Ministry of Armaments, Dr. Müller said that from him “You can also shoot at tanks.” Guderian retorted: “Shoot, yes, but don’t hit!” Reports of the use of the 80 cm gun in suppression Warsaw Uprising 1944 are questioned by many researchers (although Warsaw, like Sevastopol, was fired upon by a 60-cm self-propelled mortar of the Karl type). Krupp managed to manufacture components for the third ordered installation, but did not begin to assemble it. Further work on super-powerful guns lost its meaning. 914 mm mortar "Little David" The basis of the Little David mortar was the project of a 914-mm “device” for testing by shooting high-explosive, armor-piercing and concrete-piercing aerial bombs - attempts to use the bored barrels of the British 234-mm and American 305-mm howitzers for this did not meet the growing calibers of aerial bombs. In March 1944, the “device” began to be processed into a military weapon, intending to use it against Japanese fortifications in the event of a landing on the Japanese Islands. Was being developed high explosive projectile ready-made protrusions. Testing began at Aberdeen Proving Ground. After the abandonment of the landing operation, it was planned to transfer the mortar to the Coastal Artillery, but its use there was hampered by poor accuracy of fire. The project was suspended and closed at the end of 1946. The gun had a rifled barrel 7.79 calibers (7.12 m) long with right-hand rifling of 1/30 steepness. The length of the barrel with the sector of the vertical guidance mechanism mounted on its breech is 8.53 m, weight is 40 tons. The firing range of a projectile weighing 1690 kg (explosive charge - 726.5 kg) is 8.68 km. The mass of the full charge is 160 kg (collected from caps of 62 and 18 kg). A box-shaped installation (dimensions 5.5x3.36x3 m) with lifting and turning mechanisms was buried in the ground. Six hydraulic jacks were used to install and remove the artillery unit. Vertical pointing angles - from +45 to +65°, horizontally - 13° to the right and left. The hydraulic recoil brake was concentric, there was no knurl, and after each shot the barrel returned to its original position using a pump. The mass of the assembled gun is 82.8 tons. The M26 tank tractor was specially modified for movement - one tractor with a two-axle trailer transported the mortar, the other transported its installation. Installing the mortar in position required about 12 hours. Loading - separate cap, from the muzzle. The projectile was fed by a crane at zero elevation angle, advanced a certain distance, after which the barrel rose, and further loading was carried out by gravity. The igniter capsule was inserted into a socket in the breech of the barrel. Nowadays the mortar and its shell are kept in the museum of the Aberdeen Proving Ground, which they never left.

The Dora barrel was delivered to Rzhevka and then to the Barrikady plant.

Tests using shots from artillery systems were carried out even before the Great Patriotic War. So, in 1936-1939. Armor-piercing aerial bombs BRAB-220, BRAB-500 and BRAB-1000 were adopted by naval aviation. True, only BRAB-220 was tested with the help of artillery systems. Specialists from GSKB-47 also became interested in this method, where new armor-piercing bombs were created according to the Air Force technical specifications dated March 18, 1948. The work was carried out in the department headed by A.F. Turakhin6, and S.A. was appointed leading engineer. Drevlev. A special 380 mm caliber artillery system was required, corresponding to the diameter of the BRAB-500 bomb.

Since the early 1950s. This topic was taken up in SKB-221, which was headed by G.I. Sergeev. Independent development was required, and the young chief designer always strived for this. The topic was registered on August 30, 1951 under index BR-1017. Interestingly, this happened on G.I.’s birthday. Sergeev, as if after the call from E.N. Preobrazhensky with congratulations on his 40th birthday, or maybe it just happened that way.

Unfortunately, the initiative of the chief designer of SKB-221 initially did not receive approval from the director of the Barrikady plant, R.A. Turkova. He rightly believed that a single order for such a powerful plant was not interesting. I had to prove the possible benefits of solving this problem, and also remind me of the considerable amount promised for each shot... As a result, R.A. Turkov agreed. IN future fate This topic fell on the shoulders of the chief engineer of the plant A.S. Zhikharev and chief engineer of the 6th Main Directorate MB E.B. Rossius. Five years later they will continue their activities in the Council of National Economy of the Stalingrad region, where they will again take part in Sergeev’s developments.

The designers proposed to use for the BR-101 project the barrel of a 356-mm gun (TPSh - “three hundred and fifty-six”) previously created at the Barrikady plant with boring it to a diameter of 380 mm. As planned by the designers, the smoothbore gun was installed on a stand of the 406-mm B-37 gun (a naval gun developed on the eve of the war for battleships of the "Soviet Union" type and located at the Rzhevka training ground). Drawings, all necessary documentation, as well as technical processes developed under the leadership of the deputy chief technologist A.F. Kostryukov, were put into production at the end of September 1951. In October, the BR-101 barrel was manufactured. Its factory tests began at training ground No. 55 (Rzhevka).

Aerial bombs designed by GSKB-47 were fired against armored shields. At the same time, new NII-22 MSKHM fuses were tested as part of aerial bombs. The results exceeded all expectations, and the bomb was approved for state testing. Later it was put into service and entered the series under the name BRAB-500M-55. This bomb became known among the troops under the symbol 4-B-060.

Topic BR-105

The successful work on bombing from the barrel of the BR-101 inspired Navy aviators to issue a new, more complex mission, which was called “Hawk.”

But now G.I. Sergeev did not immediately agree. The task was more serious than the previous one. Throwing three tons out of a barrel bore - no one had ever done this in the USSR! In addition, even the TTZ project did not exist yet. Aviators outlined the “Hawk” theme in general outline. Therefore, only on April 5, 1952, the topic BR-105 was registered under the title “Design of an unrifled 650-mm barrel of an installation for shooting and testing BRAB-1500 and BRAB-3000 aerial bombs.” The registration was carried out by the head of research department No. 6 V.I. Heifetz. He was also entrusted with further development.

At the very first meeting at the Ministry of Armaments of the USSR on the topic “Hawk”, the developers were asked to use components of the aforementioned German 800-mm “Dora” and the project of V.G. Grabina.

As already mentioned, Dora units weighing about 500 tons (out of a total weight of 1345 tons) were stored on the territory of the Barrikady plant. They were placed in different corners. The 800 mm barrel, for example, was located in workshop No. 6. In 1954, Yu.A. saw him there. Zhurkin, whom his father brought to the workshop to get acquainted with his future place of work.

From the memoirs of veteran AA Zharov: “I took part in the study of German cannon components. We, the designers, were given a separate room, all the furniture was taken out of it and a smooth floor was laid. We carried out drawings on it and soon realized that these nodes would not be useful to us.”

The same thing happened with the development of TsNII-58. Study of what was sent from there on December 15, 1952 “ Explanatory note to the 650/400 project”8 suggested that it was not worth returning to this option.

Only in the summer of 1952 did the TTZ project appear, which was completed in the 9th Naval Aviation Directorate (headed by Major General ITS M.I. Kruglov). The following organizations were involved in the development of the topic:

GSKB-47 - developer of BRAV. Head - S.A. Bunin9;

SKB-221 - developer of the swinging part. Chief designer - G.I. Sergeev;

The Barricades plant is a manufacturer of swinging parts. Director - R.A. Turkov;

Testing ground No. 55 of the Navy - testing and ensuring delivery to the Barrikady plant of the MK-1 cradle and breech with a B-37 bolt for mating with the BR-105 barrel. The commander of the training ground is engineer captain 1st rank I.A. Yakhnenko;

NII-6 MSKHM - calculation of ballistics and selection of charges. Director - T.I. Agafin;

Military unit 27210 - provision of the necessary gunpowder and charges. Commander - Rear Admiral V.N. Melnikov (later this military unit was transformed into ANIMI, then into ANIOLMI, 28 Scientific Research Institute of Moscow Region, 1 Central Research Institute of Moscow Region);

NII-13 - choice of obturation. Director - F.A. Kupriyanov;

TsKB-34 - modification (if necessary) of the MK-1 cradle and the breech with the B-37 bolt. Head-Chief Designer - I.I. Ivanov.

After agreement with the listed contractors, on November 10, 1952, the 9th Naval Aviation Directorate sent to SKB-221 a tactical and technical task on the topic “Hawk” entitled “Development and production of an unrifled barrel for shooting armor-piercing bombs BRAB-1500 and BRAB-3000 and its application to the MP-10 range machine at training ground No. 55 of the Navy.” The document stipulated the following deadlines:

Defense of the preliminary design - in the first quarter of 1953;

Issue of technical design - in the third quarter of 1953;

Manufacturing and delivery - in the second quarter of 1954.

The study of the Dora, S-76 and S-77 systems has ended.

And, as they say, “go your own way!” Designers involved in the development: AI. Bogrov, N.A. Vasiliev, V.I. Zhunenkov, V.G. Novozhilov, L.N. Tkachenko, N.I. Elansky, L.P. Tsygan, A.I. Vaskov, V.A. Petrov, T. Kulicheva V.G. Chelyukanov, A.I. Chernova; calculators: A.B. Shkarin, V.G. Barinov, E.P. Shilyaeva, L.A. Anokhina, E.I. Fomina, E.V. Orlova.

The details of their activities are clarified from the “Minutes of the meeting of the technical council of SKB-221” dated June 23, 1953. We present it with slight abbreviations10.

Agendas:

1. Discussion of the technical design of the 650 mm unrifled barrel BR-105.

Speaker - Head of the 6th Department of SKB V.I. Heifetz;

Co-speaker-opponent - senior design engineer A.B. Shkarin.

“The customer gave us the basic requirements for the barrel: the barrel must provide an initial bomb speed of 400 m/s at a pressure in the channel of no more than 600 kg/cm2.

As a result of our preliminary calculations, it was established that under the given conditions the length of the barrel should be about 23-24 m and, since the metallurgical capabilities of the plant made it impossible to produce a solid barrel of such a length, a clause was added to the technical specifications stating that design is allowed and production of a composite barrel.

The preliminary design of the barrel, developed by us in accordance with the issued TTZ, provided for the production of a composite pipe 23 m long. The parts of the barrel were connected to each other using a threaded coupling or using a thermal coupling.

Loading was carried out entirely from the treasury, for which serious alterations were made to the loading devices of the MP-10 machine. A new breech and bolt were made for the barrel. A 150-ton crane11 was provided for installation at the position.

A particular difficulty in developing the project was performing ballistic calculations, since there was no proven methodology for calculating unrifled barrels of this caliber.

The method of ballistic calculation of mortars used by SKB MB (where the head of the Hero of Socialist Labor, Comrade B.I. Shavyrin) was tested for calibers up to 320 mm, for which it gave a good agreement between theoretical calculations and practice.

In the course of Professor N.E. Serebryakov’s “Internal Ballistics”, the methodology he presented for the ballistic calculation of mortars is illustrated by an example of the calculation of an 82-mm mortar.

Naturally, we could not apply mechanically, without proper verification, the calculation method for the 82-mm mortar or the SKB MB method, since we could get a completely distorted result. Therefore, we decided to test these methods based on the results of shooting BRAB-500.

The calculations carried out for BRAB-500 gave a large discrepancy with the actual shooting data. As it turned out later, this discrepancy was due to the fact that the firing range told us the wrong ballistic characteristics of the gunpowder used for shooting, and also because when shooting the BRAB-500, incomplete combustion of the gunpowder was noted on all shots.

Since we did not receive verification of the calculation methodology by processing the BRAB-500 shooting data, a ballistic calculation was made for the BRAB-3000 and BRAB-1500 using the SKB MB method of Professor N.E. Serebryakov and according to the methodology applied by NII-58.

The resulting barrel length was further increased by 1.2 m.

In order to further verify our results, the Ministry recommended that the specialized institute NII-6 be involved in participation in ballistic calculations. Ballistic calculations for our barrel were carried out by Professor, Doctor of Technical Sciences G.V. Oppokov. However, he did not obtain any new results different from ours and no changes were made to the project based on NII-6 calculations.

The preliminary design presented by the plant was considered by NII-13, TsKB-34, the 9th Naval Aviation Directorate and the Ministry of Armament. According to ballistic calculations, all of these organizations refused to give any conclusion due to the lack of a proven calculation method...

Having critically examined all the comments on the preliminary design of the barrel, we came to the following conclusions:

1 . By loading point

Instead of the first loading scheme in technical project developed new scheme loading.

According to this scheme, the bomb is loaded from the muzzle, and the charge from the treasury. The charge dimensions make it possible to fully use all the charging mechanisms of the MP-10 machine without any modifications. To load the bomb, a special tray was designed and installed on a railway platform.

The bomb is pulled into the bore using a hand winch...

The newly developed loading scheme was considered by the Ministry of Defense Industry with the participation of representatives of the AU-VMS, 9th Naval Aviation Directorate, GSKB-47, NII-13 on April 1, 1953 and was approved.

The new technical specifications indicate that the loading circuit must correspond to the developed schematic design.

2. Along the trunk

We posed to the customer the question of increasing the maximum pressure or reducing the initial speed of the bomb. The fact is that a bomb speed of 400 m/s corresponds to a bombing altitude at which the practical probability of hitting a ship or other armored target is zero. The customer was forced to agree with our arguments, and the speed of the bomb was reduced to 325 m/s, with P max = 600 kg/cm2.

As shown by ballistic calculations with a rational choice of gunpowder brand, in this case it is possible to limit the barrel length to 18-18.5 m, at which it becomes possible to manufacture a solid barrel.

In this regard, a new barrel with a length of 18.5 m was developed in the technical project. The barrel consists of an internal pipe 01-1, having a wall thickness of almost the entire length of 50 mm and only in the breech at a length of about 1.5 m the wall thickness reaches 120-130 mm.

The relatively small thickness of the pipe walls is explained by the limited capabilities of the plant's metallurgical production, since even such a pipe requires an ingot of 145 tons.

Two cylinders 01-2 and 01-3 are put on the pipe while hot, forming the second layer...

The barrel chamber of the BR-105 has a diameter of 464 mm with a bore diameter of 650 mm. The transition is smooth over a length of 575 mm. This chamber design arose as a result of our decision to use the B-37 bolt for the BR-105 barrel. The obturator ramp is unified with the B-37.

All external dimensions of the barrel are selected in such a way as to ensure complete balancing of the swinging part without any additional loads.

The outer contour of the barrel, mating with the breech and cradle, is the same with the B-37, thanks to this it is possible to pair with the B-37 breech and MK-1 cradle...

3. By breech with bolt

For the barrel of the BR-105, the breech with the bolt of the 406-mm B-37 gun, used in 1950 for the 305-mm ballistic barrel of the SM-E50, is used completely without any modifications.

In this case, all the B-37 parts removed from the breech and bolt and replaced with SM-E50 parts must be put back in place, and the bolt must be restored to the form in which it was on the B-37 gun. Such a constructive solution to the issue will make the manufacture of the barrel much easier and cheaper.

The issue of using a breech with a B-37 bolt for the BR-105 barrel, previously used for the SM-E50 barrel, was agreed with the Naval Administration (letter from the deputy head of the Navy Administration, engineer-captain 1st rank V.A. Sychev).

As for the recommendation of NII-13 to make a new obturation for the BR-105 barrel from RK-9 mass due to the low pressure in the barrel, SKB-221 cannot agree with this recommendation. BRAB-500 bombs were fired from B-37 and TPSh barrels equipped with conventional seals; the pressure during firing did not exceed 300-400 kg/cm2 and there were no comments on the functioning of the seal. Therefore, we have no reason to doubt the reliability of the seal made from M-66 mass at a pressure in the barrel bore of up to 600 kg/cm2.

Table of charges for firing BRAB-3000 and BRAB-1500 aerial bombs.

4. By placing the BR-105 barrel on the swinging part of the 406 mm MK-1 gun and the MP-10 range machine

To check the possibility of applying the BR-105 barrel to the swinging part of the MK-1 and the MP-10 machine, it was necessary to make a careful calculation of the recoil devices. The calculation showed that with an initial bomb speed of 325 m/s, it would be possible to meet the recoil length of the B-37 barrel and the maximum value of the recoil resistance force of this system without replacing the spindles. It will only be necessary to increase the initial pressure in the knurls from 115 kg/cm2 to 140 kg/cm2. Such an increase can be allowed...

Conclusion of Sergeev G.I. - Head of SKB

There will be technological difficulties in the manufacture of the barrel, but they are not decisive here, since the product is single and unique.

In general, the direction in design has been taken in the right direction. It is necessary to consider the issue of reducing the diameter of the trunk and the number of layers. Needed in the shortest possible time make clarifications based on the comments expressed here and submit the draft for approval.

Secretary of the technical council

V.I. Kheifets (08/14/1953).”

Judging by the date of defense of the technical project, the designers met the schedule approved by the minister and the head of the Naval Administration. This was not achieved so easily. The correspondence alone amounted to several volumes. They have been preserved in the GAVO and provide an opportunity to recall several fundamental disagreements between departments and ways to resolve them.

As an example, let’s look at solving questions on ballistics12.

The proposed loading option can be seen in the given fragment of the technical design (see figure above)13.

No one knew how the process of burning gunpowder would go. As already mentioned, the ministry recommended involving one of the prominent scientists in the field of ballistics, G.V., in solving the problem. Oppokova. Contacted him. He prepared a whole work on this topic called “The Problem of Forecasting” (!). But it did not contain any specific recommendations. The author wrote: “...The main difficulty of the task is that it was necessary to carry out the ballistic design of a very large-caliber smoothbore barrel in the absence of a theory for solving the direct problem of internal ballistics and sufficiently reliable experimental data necessary for the accurate calculation of the barrel and charge.”

But this was not the difficulty, according to OKB-221 specialists. The fact is that in all modern guns at that time, the diameter of the chamber was larger than the diameter of the barrel, but here it’s the other way around. The Leningraders “tried their best” when they “redesigned” the project. I had to G.I. Sergeev and his assistants have to decide everything themselves, i.e. take responsibility.

We came to the conclusion that the required ballistics are provided provided that it is loaded from the treasury. Such a scheme was presented in the preliminary design of BR-105. In Leningrad, where the preliminary design was sent for approval to NII-13 and TsKB-34, the chief engineers, respectively, L. G. Shershen and A. G. Gavrilov, immediately convened a meeting at which a decision was made aimed at “...against alterations in the feeding and loading mechanisms of the MP-10 machine.” Offered: “...the diameter of the bore is assumed to be 464 mm (the same as in the B-37 barrel). The bomb is loaded from the muzzle, and the charge from the treasury"14.

However, G.I. Sergeev objected to such changes, rightly believing that when loading from the muzzle, ballistics would not provide the required speed at all. But the owners of the MP-10 machine insisted on their own and almost put an end to this topic. And when their remark was taken into account in the technical design, then when considering it, the charge developers at NII-6 were categorically against such a loading scheme, since this could lead to "...increasing pressure and increasing the strength of bombs." They began to ask questions: “On what basis did the plant adopt a barrel length of 18.5 m instead of 23.24 m?”, “Why did the plant abandon the most profitable type of chamber (widened)?” and many others.

From that moment on, endless meetings began at NII-6. And if at NII-13 they got by with one meeting, then here, in Moscow, at Noginskoye Shosse, building 8, seven protocols of heated meetings left a trace.

The significance of the moment is indicated by the positions and surnames of representatives different organizations participating in these meetings.

From NII-6 MSHM: Deputy Director M.I. Vorotov, deputy director for scientific affairs A.K. Vostrukhin, A.S. Vladimirov, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor G.V. Oppokov, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor M.E. Serebryakov, head of laboratory No. 7 ST. Mud-cancer, B.P. Fomin, N.P. Vorobyova, chemists L.V. Dubnov, head of department K.I. Bazhenov, military representative of AN. Kuzmina.

From GSKB-47 MOP: department heads A.F. Turakhin, V.V. Yakovlev, S.D. Drevalev.

From military unit 27210: engineers-colonels of the AP. Petrov, S.V. Soloviev.

From OSAT GAU Navy: engineer-colonels A. Zakharyants, N.M. Kulybin, V.P. Seletsky, engineer-captain 1st rank N.G. Rumyantsev, A. Filimonov, E.P. Ivanov.

From the 9th Naval Aviation Directorate: Engineer Colonels SM. Kandykin, A.G. Krishtopa, Sh.K. Rakhmatulin, engineer-captain 2nd rank S.N. Sokolov, P.F. Maikov, engineer major V.I. Loskov.

From MOP: G.P. Volosatov, AS Spiridonov, Lapekin, V.A. Tyurin, I.V. Pechernikova, I.M. Markovich, V.I. Kuteynikov, topic leader - E.I. Kozlova.

From SKB-221 and the Barrikady plant: G.I. Sergeev, V.I. Kheifets, R.A. Turkov, E.P. Shilyaeva15.

At the final stage, the meeting was attended by the head of the Main Administration of the Navy, Rear Admiral V.N. Osiko, Deputy Commander of Naval Aviation, Major General D. Shushnin, Deputy Minister of Defense Ministry A.V. Domrachev.

One can note a certain pattern in these meetings. Each was attended by senior military representative of OSAT Navy K.N. Pozhilkov (as it was supposed to be) and SKB-221 representative E.P. Shilyaeva. In the correspondence of that time, the same phrases are found: “Invite ballistics calculator E.P. Shilyaev"; “Please forward the workbook to Shilyaeva.”

Where has this one of hers been? workbook! In NII-6, in the ministry, among aviators, in GSKB-47. She returned to Stalingrad several times, then again went by field communication to Moscow. The calculations carried out by Ekaterina Petrovna turned out to be the most popular. Many decisions were made and canceled based on them.

By December 1954, the selection of charges was approved16. The barrel length was taken to be 18463 mm. At his own expense, E.P. Shilyaeva received gratitude from the ministry.

From the memoirs of V.I. Heifetz: “The defense of the technical project for the 650 mm barrel in 1953 was the first defense of the independently completed work of the young team. After that, the Ministry of Defense began to consider us as a serious design organization.”

By this time, the director of the Barrikady plant had changed. R.A. Turkov went to work at OKB-1 to the joint venture. Queen. November 26, 1953 Minister D.F. Ustinov turned to the Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee N.S. To Khrushchev: “...I ask you to approve Comrade. Atroshchenko Sergei Nikolaevich Director of Plant No. 221 of the Ministry of Defense Industry "". The appointment took place on January 6, 1954.

GSKB-47 improved the BRAB-3000 aerial bombs to meet the new requirements of the Yastreb-1 (M-107) theme. It’s good that these changes did not affect SKB-221. Department V.I. Heifetz dealt with new topics: for example, wheel drives for a 203-mm howitzer were designed, and other important directions were opened. So the theme “Yastreb” (“Yastreb-1”), frankly speaking, got boring. Legs. Sergeev always brought everything to its logical conclusion and did not tolerate relaxation. He demanded that all attention be given to the production of the BR-105 barrel. This is the main thing, the rest of the components did not count - for a week of work.

The production of the main unit was planned for the first quarter of 1955. All the necessary drawings, including the “Instructions for relieving thermal stresses by hydraulic method” and technical processes, were sent to the workshops. Apparently, the preparation for production was carried out very poorly or not at all. Questions and explanations poured in!

The choice of steel grades for the manufacture of barrel parts turned out to be difficult. The assistant director of the plant for metallurgy, Chumakov, asked many enterprises in the country to produce an ingot weighing 190-200 tons. Refusal came from everywhere. The metallurgical bureau had to develop its own technology, focused on the capacity of the Barrikady plant.

Here it is also advisable to give some examples of the hard work of plant specialists.

“Due to the repair of a 6,000-ton press, as well as the fulfillment of orders for people’s democracies, workshop 12 is forced to carry out large forgings of BR-105 behind schedule”18.

“Due to the fact that the BR-105 table weighs more than one hundred tons, the crane of workshop 14 needs to be modified in terms of replacing the cables...” etc.

The issues raised were resolved, but mostly through administrative measures. For example, the following instruction from the head of mechanical production, G.A., has been preserved. Shipulina: “Acting head of workshop 1 comrade. A.Ya. Mironov, deputy head of the workshop comrade. M.P. Polyansky, senior master M.V. Ovcharov is personally responsible for performing all machining operations on the BR-105 barrel...”

The final machining of the barrel bore was carried out after fastening the pipe with the cylinders and the casing (i.e., the assembly at this point was more than 18 m long) and after screwing the thrust nut into the casing. The craftsmen of the 1st workshop ensured the required cleanliness of machining the internal bore of the barrel. Then E.A. worked on fine-tuning. Kurganov, M.I. Potapov, P.O. Yurov. Boring was done by I.A. Milyukov, I.S. Kalugin, P.I. Rykunov.

Welding of two cylinders was carried out using a special technology after heating the fastening elements to a temperature of 500°C. To perform this operation, it was necessary to chisel the floor foundation and go two meters deep, since the height of the unit did not allow inserting the trunk into the furnace. Axial temperature stresses were also removed here.

Drawings of three armor-piercing bombs that were in use by 1955.

in the stage of development or state testing (from top to bottom):

BRAB-3000, BRAB-1500, BRAB-6000.

In the summer of 1955, the BR-105 barrel was ready and "...performed at a very high level." Well, the equipment and specialists met the requirements of that time, and such tasks were feasible. In the end, two tasks remained - to connect the barrel with the breech and bolt, borrowed from the B-37 gun, and with the cradle of the MK-1 machine and send the whole thing to Leningrad.

And the failures began again. Military unit 31331, where the units necessary for fastening were located, categorically refused to send them, since they were constantly used for testing other experimental systems. They were unconditionally supported in this by TsKB-34, NII-13, and the Bolshevik plant.

And only with the knowledge of the Deputy Chief of the Naval Administration A. Filimonov, the MK-1 cradle and the breech with the B-37 bolt entered assembly in Stalingrad. Mating took place quickly.

Now it was necessary to deliver the barrel, cradle, breech, bolt and other components to the test site. We have been preparing for this moment for a long time. Loading scheme developed by V.I. Zhunenkov, agreed with the railway administration back in 1953.19 But the railway workers refused to deliver a heavy-duty platform to the plant, because they had already sent it more than once, but due to the delay in the production of the BR-105 barrel, the acutely in short supply 230-ton transporter stood idle every time.

The passion for shipping was so great that they even planned to use the Dora railway platforms, which, after a three-year stay at the plant, were sent with all components for storage in Prudboy at the factory site. But it didn’t come to that. In December 1955, the BR-105 barrel with components from the B-37 and MK-1 was finally delivered to its destination. But they did not immediately install the delivered components on the MP-10 machine. As reported in the summer of 1957, “...Due to the busyness of the MP-10 machine, according to the resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, tests of aerial bombs were not carried out”20.

Unheard of! The products, which were produced with such difficulty and expense, were kept under lock and key for almost 1.5 years. During this time, the barricades tested the following systems: BR-104 - “320-mm ballistic barrel for testing Soviet shells for the Italian main-caliber gun of the battleship Novorossiysk (former Italian battleship Giulio Cesare); SM-9 - “152-mm coastal gun”; SM-4-1 - “130-mm mechanized artillery mount with a new BR-100 chassis.”

Only in August 1957 did the team from the Barrikady plant begin reinstalling the machines to prepare the BR-105 system for delivery. It was necessary to test the strength by shooting aerial bombs at an elevation angle of 0°. Loading conditions (charge weight, grade of gunpowder, chamber length) for each subsequent shot before handing over the barrel for shooting with standard aerial bombs were selected by military specialists.

The tests ended successfully with one single remark: “There is an increase in coasting speed.” The test log contains an entry made by V.I. Heifetz: “Due to the fact that the speeds in the roll-up section for the BR-105 and B-37 vehicles are almost the same, no modifications are required.”

The period of testing the BRAB-3000 and BRAB-1500 aerial bombs, which had been expected for almost four years, turned out to be very short - September-November 1957. But even this for many years was rated as the most interesting period military service as test engineers SM. Reidman, R.I. Birman, L.N. Afanasyev and others. They hit the armored shield in three shifts - making up for lost time. The tests turned out to be dangerous. According to the recollections of veterans of the training ground, “Fragments from air bombs scattered far around. It was even necessary to build a fortified canopy at a tram stop, far outside the test site, to protect people. The start of each shot was announced by a deafening siren.”

Many years have passed. Very few necessary test documents have been found so far. From the former GSKB-47 (now GMPP "Basalt") they reported: “BRAB-1500 has not left the factory testing stage. No information about her test has been preserved."21

As for BRAB-3000, the following is described about it: “BRAB-3000 has passed factory tests. We performed comparative tests, and then regular tests, i.e. bombing from an aircraft from a height of 1200 m at a speed of 750 km/h. Flight stability under these conditions was ensured. A batch of aerial bombs began to be prepared for State tests. But events followed when both bomber aircraft and bombing were replaced by missiles. The many years of work of hundreds of people turned out to be unclaimed” 22.

The Titan Central Design Bureau has preserved several volumes of books, which are called here “Proceedings of G.I. Sergeeva". In one of them, “Illustrations of products. 1950-1984,” along with iconic products, there is a drawing called “Barrel BR-105”23. The author included the most significant developments in his works. It follows that for him, work on the 650 mm barrel of the BR-105 was not so disastrous!

For testing PRS

In 1958, the BR-105 gun came under the supervision of the head of the serial artillery design bureau, S.N. Kurdeva-nijo. As he recalled, he had to maintain the BR-105 systems in full combat readiness for several more years in a row. And here's why.

By this time, D. F. Ustinov was appointed to the positions of Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and Chairman of the Military-Industrial Complex. The entire interconnection of the country's numerous enterprises involved in one or another topic was in his hands. As a zealous owner, he could not just part with the unique 650 mm barrel of the BR-105.

For example, one of the Moscow design bureaus has outlined a whole series of tests of the PRS-3500 parachute-rocket system using a unique barrel. The mass of future landing assets and objects increased. And it was decided to fire a test shot from the BR-105 gun with the BRAB-6000 product, i.e. “six-ton” (without head ring and eyelet).

Loading was carried out from the muzzle at an elevation angle of 0°, then the elevation angle was increased to 15°, fortunately the design of the system allowed this to be done. After successfully shooting a simulated bomb weighing 6 tons at a speed of 417 m/s, we began testing weighted missile launchers. The special cargo rose to a height of 500-560 m, at which the parachute opened. The ascending part of the trajectory followed a ballistic curve; at the top the trajectory ended abruptly. The load was rushing towards the landfill at an angle. And this is the main thing. Before the ground, the PRS worked or did not work. And so over and over again until positive results were obtained.

The BR-105 barrel is also associated with tests to develop ejection seats for pilots and cosmonauts24. At the same time, again, specialists from NII-6 (now FSUE TsNIIHM) determined the optimal weight of the rocket-powder engine charge, providing necessary conditions ejections that are not dangerous to humans.

Idea of ​​use artillery shot to practice soft landing of parachute systems was close to being implemented again. Since 1969, the Volgograd Design Bureau was involved in the “Waterfall” theme to provide research on developing a soft landing. Deputy Chief Designer N.K. Semenov registers the topic BR-635 “Product of 320 mm caliber “Yauza” (06/06/1969). In 1972, another topic was added to this topic - BR-645 “700 mm Volga caliber product” (02/10/1972). The agreement document of intent stated: “...The BR-635 and BR-645 pneumatic systems were intended for testing parachute systems using mock-ups weighing from 30 to 15,000 kg”25.

Both systems, unfortunately, were not developed.

And yet, is shooting really cheaper than bombing? Hardly. Especially when a barrel of such a huge caliber as 650 mm is required. But in that situation it had to be designed and manufactured, since there was no other solution.

And again about "Dora"

What happened to the remains of the German "Dora"?

From 1954 to 1960 they were stored at the factory site at the station. Prudboy. The long trunk protruded halfway out of the local shed. There was security, but local boys played “war games” on it almost every day, as a resident of those places, head of the department of the Central Design Bureau “Titan” I.N., recalls. Verenitsin. Soldiers from the local training ground willingly took pictures with the exotic weapon in the background. And hundreds of photographs were sent throughout the Union. This situation did not suit either the security guards or the managers of the landfill.

On April 4, plant director S.N. At-Roshchenko wrote a petition with the following content to the chairman of the Stalingrad Council of National Economy: “...In 1953, the plant turned to the former Minister of Defense Industry, Comrade. Ustinov D.F. with a request to write off a 600 mm gun weighing 450-500 tons. into the charge. Our request was denied and we were asked to store the system until further notice.

Currently, the system is located on the plant's landfill, rusting and taking up a lot of desperately needed space.

In view of the acute shortage of carbon scrap at the plant, I ask you to resolve the issue of using this system for remelting”26.

The scribbling began. Wherever the Economic Council members E.V. wrote. Rossius and A.S. Zhikharev, the mere mention of Ustinov’s name dictated the answer: “...Please contact Comrade personally. Ustinov D.F.”, although he had long held another position. And I had to apply! The Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR instructs the Ministry of Defense and State Committee on defense technology to understand the feasibility of storing the captured Dora.

Got it figured out! July 27, 1959 Deputy Minister of Defense Marshal of the Soviet Union A.A. Grechko and Deputy Chairman of the GKOT CM USSR S.A. Zverev reported that “they consider it possible to write off and scrap this system, since it does not represent any value”27. Resolution D.F. Ustinova: “...Accept the proposal of the USSR Ministry of Defense and GKOT to scrap the captured German railway system. Railway platforms to be used for the needs of the local Economic Council”28.

Disposal was carried out in 1960. The artillery part was cut up and melted down in the open-hearth furnace of workshop No. 11, the charges and shells were blown up in Prudboi. As for the four railway platforms, their fate was decided by the deputy head of MTS and sales of the Volgograd City Council of National Economy (1957-1963) I.G. Vorobiev. It is not known how he disposed of the trophy. But there is one known find in Prudboy, to which the Titan Central Design Bureau was related.

In 1982, a new weapon was tested in Prudboy. Designer I.V. Kovshov and tester N.L. The Turks drew attention to two fire barrels. They were of a non-standard design; there were welded taps 200 mm from the bottom. Curious gunners also noticed the capsule belt that framed each barrel from below.

I was informed about the find (the author of the article at that time was acting as the head of the design bureau for testing). I reported to the chief designer, who immediately ordered a letter to be written to the director of the defense museum A.V. Ivankin with a request to accept German cartridges for storage. Anatoly Vasilyevich’s reaction was immediate. He visited the place of discovery, agreed to accept the cartridges for storage and asked G.I. Sergeev to put them in order. In shop 10 the sleeves were ground, the taps were cut off, the holes were welded and painted. They were brought to the panorama by group leader N.B. Skorikov.

When the panorama " Battle of Stalingrad"was ready for opening (1982), eminent citizens were invited to the high-rise hall. G.I. was also invited. Sergeev. His first question was about the fate of the Dora cartridges. He was told that one was preserved in its standard form, the other was handed over to Leningrad restorers to make the original exhibit. In 1984, when the preview rooms of the panorama museum opened, the first visitors, among whom was G.I. Sergeev with his daughter and grandson saw this exhibit. The cartridge case was cut at an angle. The restorers inserted a map of Hitler’s Barbarossa plan into the resulting ellipse.

In this condition, these Dora cartridges are displayed at the beginning of the first viewing room to this day.

Fate decreed that while the 800-mm Dora was rotting and disappearing in the open-hearth furnaces of the Barrikady plant, the OKB designers created a unique barrel for the benefit of testing new weapons elements.

List of abbreviations

AU VMS-Artillery Directorate of the Navy BRAB - armor-piercing aerial bomb GAVO - State Archives of the Volgograd Region

GSKB - State Special Design Bureau

KPA - Control and testing apparatus of MSHM - Ministry of Agricultural Engineering of the USSR

MB - Ministry of Armament of the USSR OSAT GAU Navy - Department of Special aviation technology Main Artillery Directorate of the Naval Forces

PRS - Parachute-rocket system SNKh - Sovnarkhoz

Notes:

1. From a letter from military unit 27177 ref.23v/1541 dated May 8, 2008 and Shirokorad A.B. Russia and Germany. History of military cooperation. - M., 2007, p.234.

2. Khudyakovs A.P. and S.A. Artillery genius. - M., 2007, p. 568.

3. Shirokorad A.B. The genius of Soviet artillery. - M., 2002, p.297.

6. Aleksey Fedorovich Turakhin was born on February 22, 1896. Higher education. Graduated from the Artillery Academy and Higher Academic aviation courses. In GSKB-47 (FSUE SNPP Basalt) from 1930 to 1970 A.F. Turakhin is one of the first organizers of the design of Soviet aerial bombs BRAB-220, BRAB-500, BRAB-1000. Known as a talented designer who for many years occupied a leading place in Soviet aircraft bomb construction, the author of the first Soviet welded high-explosive bombs FAB-50, FAB-250, FAB-1000 (1932), incendiary bomb ZAB-1-E (1935), armor-piercing bombs BRAB-250, BRAB-500, BRAB-1000 (1941), AG-2 aircraft grenade (1941), PLAB-100 anti-submarine bomb (1941).

Awarded the title of laureate of the Stalin Prize (1943). Awarded the Order of the Red Star, the Red Banner of Labor, the Badge of Honor and medals.

7. How was the BR index assigned? In 1951 G.I. Sergeev decided to revive the assignment of the “barricade” index to newly developed products. A special journal was established, issued only with his permission, in which the next number, name, number, division and signature were indicated.

8. Was registered under No. 972 dated December 15, 1952 (not preserved).

9. Sergei Alekseevich Bunin was born on March 09, 1907. Graduated from the Tula Mechanical Institute (1936). He began his career in 1926 as a mechanic's apprentice at plant No. 6 in Tula. Since 1937 at plant No. 68. He worked as a deputy shop manager, head of a technical department, and chief engineer. Since 1939 - director of plant No. 68. In 1945, he was appointed director of plant No. 77, and two years later - director of STZ. From Stalingrad he was sent to the post of Deputy Minister of Agricultural Engineering. Since 1952 S.A. Bunin worked as the head of GSKB-47. Awarded the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, and medals.

10. GAVO, f. 127, op. 4, no. 770.

11. From the funds of the Central Design Bureau “Titan”, No. 1757 (roll 49), preliminary design.

12. Copy of the decision on technical advice, GAVO, f. 127, op. 4, no. 770.

13. From the funds of the Central Design Bureau “Titan”, No. 2713 (roll 49), technical. project.

14. GAVO, f. 127, op. 4, d. 772, l.32. Present at this meeting were:

From TsKB-34: chief engineer A.G. Gavrilov, topic leader A.I. Ukhov, head of the 22nd department V.M. Kovalchuk, head of the 20th department A.V. Cherenkov, leading designers V.E. Sokolov and M.E. Dorfman.

From NII-13: chief engineer L.G. Shershen, chief designer A.V. Dmitriev, chief technologist V.P. Myasnikov, head of KB-2 B.C. Krasnogorsky, head of laboratory No. 25 V.V. Rozhdestvensky, senior researcher 3.3. Gurevich.

15. GAVO, F. 127, op.4, D.554.

16. Materials of the Central Design Bureau “Titan” No. 1925, l.20 (item 4, part 14)

17. GAVO, F. 6575, op.38, d.7, l.35.

18. GAVO, F. 127, op.4, D.869, l. 115.

19. From the funds of the Central Design Bureau “Titan”, No. 3464 (roll 49)

20. GAVO, F.6575, op.9, D.5, l.2.

21. From the letter of the State Research and Production Enterprise “Basalt” ref.3118 - 8/300 dated January 31, 2008, signed by the head of the museum V.G. Boychenko.

22. Ibid.

23. From the funds of the Central Clinical Hospital “Titan”, No. 6234. rice. 20.

24. For a long time the use of the BR-105 barrel after testing aerial bombs was legendary. And only from the transmitted stories of S.N. Kurdeva-nidza became aware of the additional use of a barrel from the Yastreb system.

25. From the funds of the Central Clinical Hospital “Titan”, No. 8000.

26. GAVO, F.6575, op.9, d.25, l.29.

27. GAVO, F.6575, op.9, d.25, l.83.

28. GAVO, F.6575, op.9, d.25, l.82.

10

The Archer self-propelled gun uses a Volvo A30D chassis with a 6x6 wheel arrangement. The chassis is equipped with a 340 horsepower diesel engine, which allows it to reach highway speeds of up to 65 km/h. It is worth noting that the wheeled chassis can move through snow up to one meter deep. If the wheels of the installation are damaged, the self-propelled gun can still move for some time.

A distinctive feature of the howitzer is that there is no need for additional crew numbers to load it. The cockpit is armored to protect the crew from small arms fire and ammunition fragments.

9

"Msta-S" is designed to destroy tactical nuclear weapons, artillery and mortar batteries, tanks and other armored vehicles, anti-tank weapons, manpower, air defense and missile defense systems, control posts, as well as to destroy field fortifications and impede the maneuvers of enemy reserves in the depth of his defense. It can fire at observed and unobserved targets from closed positions and direct fire, including work in mountain conditions. When firing, both shots from the ammunition rack and those fired from the ground are used, without loss in rate of fire.

Crew members communicate using 1B116 internal telephone equipment for seven subscribers. External communication is carried out using the R-173 VHF radio station (range up to 20 km).

TO additional equipment self-propelled guns include: automatic PPO 3-fold action with control equipment 3ETs11-2; two filter ventilation units; self-entrenchment system mounted on the lower frontal sheet; TDA, powered by the main engine; system 902V “Tucha” for firing 81-mm smoke grenades; two tank degassing devices (TDP).

8 AS-90

Self-propelled artillery unit on a tracked chassis with a rotating turret. The hull and turret are made of 17 mm steel armor.

The AS-90 replaced all other types of artillery in the British Army, both self-propelled and towed, with the exception of the L118 light towed howitzers and MLRS and were used in combat during the Iraq War.

7 Krab (based on AS-90)

The SPH Krab is a 155 mm NATO compatible self-propelled howitzer manufactured in Poland by the Produkcji Wojskowej Huta Stalowa Wola center. The self-propelled gun is a complex symbiosis of the Polish RT-90 tank chassis (with an S-12U engine), an artillery unit from the AS-90M Braveheart with a 52-caliber barrel, and its own (Polish) Topaz fire control system. The 2011 version of the SPH Krab uses a new gun barrel from Rheinmetall.

The SPH Krab was immediately created with the ability to fire in modern modes, that is, for the MRSI mode (multiple projectiles of simultaneous impact), including. As a result, within 1 minute in MRSI mode, the SPH Krab fires 5 shells at the enemy (that is, at the target) within 30 seconds, after which it leaves the firing position. Thus, the enemy gets the complete impression that 5 self-propelled guns are firing at him, and not just one.

6 M109A7 "Paladin"

Self-propelled artillery unit on a tracked chassis with a rotating turret. The hull and turret are made of rolled aluminum armor, which provides protection from small arms fire and field artillery shell fragments.

In addition to the United States, it became the standard self-propelled gun of NATO countries, was also supplied in significant quantities to a number of other countries and was used in many regional conflicts.

5PLZ05

The self-propelled gun turret is welded from rolled armor plates. Two four-barreled smoke grenade launcher units are installed on the front of the turret to create smoke screens. In the rear part of the hull there is a hatch for the crew, which can be used to replenish ammunition while feeding ammunition from the ground into the loading system.

PLZ-05 is equipped automatic system loading a gun developed on the basis of the Russian Msta-S self-propelled gun. The rate of fire is 8 rounds per minute. The howitzer gun has a caliber of 155 mm and a barrel length of 54 calibers. The gun's ammunition is located in the turret. It consists of 30 rounds of 155 mm caliber and 500 rounds of ammunition for a 12.7 mm machine gun.

4

155 mm self-propelled howitzer The Type 99 is a Japanese self-propelled howitzer in service with the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force. It replaced the obsolete Type 75 self-propelled gun.

Despite the interests of the armies of several countries in the self-propelled gun, the sale of copies of this howitzer abroad was prohibited by Japanese law.

3

The K9 Thunder self-propelled gun was developed in the mid-90s of the last century by the Samsung Techwin corporation by order of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Korea, in addition to the K55\K55A1 self-propelled guns in service with their subsequent replacement.

In 1998, the Korean government entered into a contract with the Samsung Techwin corporation for the supply of self-propelled guns, and in 1999 the first batch of K9 Thunder was delivered to the customer. In 2004, Türkiye bought a production license and also received a batch of K9 Thunder. A total of 350 units have been ordered. The first 8 self-propelled guns were built in Korea. From 2004 to 2009, 150 self-propelled guns were delivered to the Turkish army.

2

Developed at the Nizhny Novgorod Central Research Institute "Burevestnik". The 2S35 self-propelled gun is designed to destroy tactical nuclear weapons, artillery and mortar batteries, tanks and other armored vehicles, anti-tank weapons, manpower, air defense and missile defense systems, command posts, as well as to destroy field fortifications and impede the maneuvers of enemy reserves in the depths of their defense . On May 9, 2015, the new self-propelled howitzer 2S35 “Coalition-SV” was officially presented for the first time at the Parade in honor of the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

According to Ministry of Defense estimates Russian Federation In terms of the range of characteristics, the 2S35 self-propelled gun is 1.5-2 times superior to similar systems. Compared to the M777 towed howitzers and M109 self-propelled howitzers in service with the US Army, the Coalition-SV self-propelled howitzer has a higher degree of automation, increased rate of fire and firing range, meeting modern requirements for combined arms combat.

1

Self-propelled artillery unit on a tracked chassis with a rotating turret. The hull and turret are made of steel armor, providing protection against bullets of up to 14.5 mm caliber and fragments of 152 mm shells. It is possible to use dynamic protection.

The PzH 2000 is capable of firing three rounds in nine seconds or ten in 56 seconds at a range of up to 30 km. The howitzer holds a world record - at a training ground in South Africa, it fired a V-LAP projectile (active-propelled projectile with improved aerodynamics) at a distance of 56 km.

Based on all the indicators, the PzH 2000 is considered the most advanced serial self-propelled gun in the world. The self-propelled guns have earned extremely high ratings from independent experts; Thus, the Russian specialist O. Zheltonozhko defined it as a reference system for the present time, which all manufacturers of self-propelled vehicles are guided by artillery installations.

In one of the specialties I received, I am an artilleryman, commander of a platoon of 2S3M “Akatsiya” self-propelled howitzer guns, so the topic of artillery is close to me.

Surely many of you do not know the differences between a cannon, self-propelled gun, howitzer and mortar, so first I will tell you a little.
So,
Gun- an artillery gun that fires along a flat trajectory. It is distinguished by a large barrel elongation against mortars and howitzers (40-80 calibers) and a smaller barrel elevation angle.

Howitzer- an artillery gun that fires along a hinged trajectory, i.e. from closed firing positions. Conditional border between a howitzer and a cannon barrel, its length is considered to be 40 calibers.

Mortar– an artillery gun with a short barrel (less than 15 calibers) for mounted shooting. Designed to destroy enemy equipment and manpower hidden behind walls and trenches by firing along an overhead trajectory.

self-propelled guns– a self-propelled artillery mount, without reference to the type of weapon, can be equipped with different types of artillery systems – a cannon (SU-100), or a howitzer (ISU-152).
Video to introduce the power of the 2S3M Akatsiya, of course, it is not the 2S19 MSTA, but it is still capable of firing tactical nuclear warheads.

1 Mortar Little David (Little David) 914 mm

Experimental American mortar from the end of World War II. Despite a much more modest appearance than, for example, the Schwerer Gustav or Karl, it still holds the record for the largest caliber (914 mm or 36 inches) among all modern artillery

2 Tsar Cannon 890 mm

Medieval artillery gun (bombard), cast in bronze in 1586 by Russian master Andrei Chokhov at the Cannon Yard. The length of the gun is 5.34 m, the outer diameter of the barrel is 120 cm, the diameter of the patterned belt at the muzzle is 134 cm, the caliber is 890 mm, the weight is 39.31 tons (2400 pounds).

3 Dora gun 800 mm

Super-heavy railway artillery gun. Developed by Krupp (Germany) in the late 1930s. It was intended to destroy the fortifications of the Maginot Line and fortifications on the border of Germany and Belgium. The gun is named after the wife of the chief designer.

4 Mortar Karl 600 mm

German heavy self-propelled mortar from the Second World War. One of the most powerful self-propelled guns of its period. They were used to storm fortresses and heavily fortified enemy positions.

5 Tsar Cannon 508 mm (Perm)

The world's largest cast iron cannon, which is also a military weapon, the 20-inch Perm Tsar Cannon was manufactured in 1868 by order of the Naval Ministry at the Motovilikha Cast Iron Cannon Factory. It is not clear why the largest one is inferior in caliber to the Moscow 508 versus 890, and the barrel length is also 4.9 versus 5.34.

6 Mortar Big Bertha 420 mm

German 420 mm mortar. The mortar was intended to destroy particularly strong fortifications. The Bertha's rate of fire was 1 shot per 8 minutes, and the flight range of the 900-kg projectile was 14 km. All three types of shells used had enormous destructive power for that time.

7 Mortar launcher 2B2 Oka 420 mm

Soviet self-propelled 420 mm mortar unit. Rate of fire - 1 shot per 5 minutes. Firing range - 25 km, active-reactive mine - 50 km. Mine weight - 670 kg. Designed for firing nuclear charges. During testing, it was established that the monstrous recoil does not allow long-term operation of such a weapon. After which serial production was abandoned. There is only one “Oka” left in the metal out of four released.

8 Railway Cannon Saint-Chamond 400 mm

In October 1914, the French government formed a special commission responsible for the creation of railway weapons, which, in turn, turned to the largest arms concerns with a proposal to develop large-caliber guns on railway transporters. Design and construction work took very little time, and already in May 1915, eight railway guns from the Schneider-Creuzot company appeared at the front, and a few months later the especially powerful 400-mm howitzers from the Saint-Chamon company received their baptism of fire.

9 Rodman Columbiad 381mm

Manufactured in 1863, it had a barrel with a caliber of 381 mm, and its weight reached 22.6 tons. Civil war in the United States contributed to the emergence of new types of weapons - armored ships and armored trains, and the creation of means to combat them - smooth-bore Columbiad guns, named after one of the first guns of this type.

10 Self-propelled gun 2A3 Capacitor 406 mm

Soviet self-propelled 406-mm gun SM-54 (2A3) for firing “Kondensator” nuclear ammunition. In 1957, the 2AZ self-propelled gun was paraded on Red Square and created a sensation among domestic citizens and foreign journalists. Some foreign experts have suggested that the cars shown at the parade are simply props, designed for a frightening effect. However, this was a real artillery system, fired at the training ground.

It is not for nothing that artillery is called the “god of war.” It has long become one of the main and most important striking forces of the ground forces. Despite the rapid development of combat aviation and missile weapons, modern gunners still have a lot of work to do, and this situation is unlikely to change in the near future.

It is believed that Europe became acquainted with gunpowder in the 14th century, which led to a real revolution in military affairs. Fire-breathing bombards were first used to destroy enemy fortresses and other fortifications, and it took several centuries for the guns to be able to move with the army and participate in land battles.

For centuries, the best minds of mankind have been improving artillery weapons. In this material we will talk about the largest and most famous artillery pieces in the history of mankind. Not all of them turned out to be successful or even useful, but this absolutely did not prevent the giants from causing universal delight and admiration. So, which cannon is the largest in the world?

Top 10 largest artillery pieces in human history.

10. Self-propelled mortar “Karl” (Gerät 040)

This is German self-propelled gun period of the Second World War. "Karl" had a caliber of 600 mm and weighed 126 tons. A total of seven copies of this system were built, which would be more correctly called a self-propelled mortar. The Germans built them to destroy enemy fortresses and other fortified positions. Initially, these guns were developed for the assault on the French Maginot Line, but due to the transience of the campaign they were never used. The debut of these mortars took place on the Eastern Front, where the Nazis used them during the storming of the Brest Fortress, and then during the siege of Sevastopol. At the end of the war, one of the mortars was captured by the Red Army, and today anyone can see this self-propelled gun in the armored museum in Kubinka, near Moscow.

9. “Crazy Greta” (Dulle Griet)

In ninth place in our ranking is a medieval weapon made in the 14th century on the territory of modern Belgium. “Mad Greta” is one of the few large-caliber medieval forged guns that have survived to this day. The cannon fired stone cannonballs; its barrel consisted of 32 forged steel strips, fastened with numerous hoops. The dimensions of the Greta are truly impressive: its barrel length is 5 meters, its weight is 16 tons, and its caliber is 660 mm.

8. Howitzer "Saint-Chamon"

Eighth place in the ranking is occupied by a French 400 mm gun, created in 1884. This cannon was so large that it had to be mounted on a railway platform. The total weight of the structure was 137 tons, the gun could send projectiles weighing 641 kg over a distance of 17 km. True, in order to equip a position for Saint-Chamond, the French were forced to lay railway tracks.

7. Faule Mette (“Lazy Mette”)

In seventh place in our ranking is another famous medieval large-caliber weapon that fired stone cannonballs. Unfortunately, none of these guns have survived to this day, so the characteristics of the gun can only be restored from the descriptions of its contemporaries. “Lazy Metta” was made in the German city of Braunschweig at the beginning of the 15th century. Master Henning Bussenschutte is considered its creator. The gun had impressive dimensions: weight about 8.7 tons, caliber from 67 to 80 cm, the mass of one stone core reached 430 kg. For each shot, it was necessary to put about 30 kg of gunpowder into the cannon.

6. "Big Bertha" (Dicke Bertha)

Famous German large-caliber gun period of the First World War. The gun was developed at the beginning of the last century and manufactured at the Krupp factories in 1914. “Big Bertha” had a caliber of 420 mm, its projectile weighed 900 kg, and the firing range was 14 km. The weapon was intended to destroy particularly strong enemy fortifications. The gun was manufactured in two versions: semi-stationary and mobile. The weight of the mobile modification was 42 tons; the Germans used steam tractors to transport it. When it exploded, the shell formed a crater with a diameter of more than ten meters; the gun’s rate of fire was one shot every eight minutes.

5. Oka mortar

Fifth place in our ranking is occupied by the Soviet large-caliber self-propelled mortar "Oka", developed in the mid-50s. At that time, the USSR already possessed a nuclear bomb, but had difficulties with the means of delivering it. Therefore, Soviet strategists decided to create a mortar capable of firing nuclear charges. Its caliber was 420 mm, total mass the vehicle weighed 55 tons, and the firing range could reach 50 km. The Oka mortar had such monstrous recoil that its production was abandoned. A total of four self-propelled mortars were manufactured.

4. Little David

This is an American experimental mortar from the Second World War. It is the largest weapon (by caliber) of modern artillery.

“Little David” was intended to destroy particularly powerful enemy fortifications and was developed for the Pacific theater of military operations. But in the end, this gun never left the test site. The barrel was installed in a special metal box dug into the ground. “David” fired special cone-shaped projectiles, the weight of which reached 1678 kg. After their explosion, a crater with a diameter of 12 meters and a depth of 4 meters was left.

The dimensions of the gun are impressive: the length of the gun is 5.34 meters, the caliber is 890 mm, and the total weight is almost 40 tons. This weapon really deserves the respectful prefix “king”.

The “Tsar Cannon” is decorated with intricate patterns and has several inscriptions engraved on it. Experts are confident that the gun was fired at least once, but historical evidence for this has not been found. Today the Tsar Cannon is included in the Guinness Book of Records and is one of the main Moscow attractions.

The second place in our ranking is taken by superheavy German gun period of the Second World War. This gun was created by Krupp engineers in the mid-30s. It had a caliber of 807 mm, was installed on a railway platform and could fire at a range of 48 km. In total, the Germans managed to produce two “Doras”, one of them was used during the siege of Sevastopol, and possibly during the suppression of the uprising in Warsaw. The total weight of one gun was 1350 tons. The gun could fire one shot in 30-40 minutes. It should be noted that the combat effectiveness of this monster is questioned by many experts and military historians.

1. "Basilica" or Ottoman cannon

In first place in our rating is another historical weapon from the Middle Ages. It was made in the middle of the 15th century by the Hungarian master Urban specially commissioned by Sultan Mehmed II. This artillery gun had colossal dimensions: its length was approximately 12 meters, its diameter was 75-90 cm, and its total weight was about 32 tons. The bombard was cast from bronze and required 30 bulls to move it. In addition, the “crew” of the gun included another 50 carpenters, whose task was to make a special platform, as well as up to 200 workers who moved the gun. The Basilica's firing range was 2 km.

However, the Ottoman cannon did not come to first place in our rating because of its size. Only thanks to this weapon did the Ottomans manage to destroy the strong walls of Constantinople and capture the city. Until this moment, the walls of Constantinople were considered impregnable; the Turks unsuccessfully tried to capture it for several centuries. The fall of Constantinople began Ottoman Empire and became the most important moment in the history of Turkish statehood.

“Basilica” did not serve its owners for long. The very next day after the start of its use, the first cracks appeared on the trunk, and a few weeks later it became completely unusable.

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Artillery is one of the three oldest branches of the military, the main striking force of the ground forces of modern armed forces, and it is not for nothing that artillerymen are called “gods of war.” In our review of the 10 most formidable artillery pieces ever created by man.

1. Atomic cannon 2B1 "Oka"

The Soviet atomic cannon 2B1 "Oka" was created in 1957. The chief designer of the project was B.I. Shavyrin. The gun fired mines of various types at a distance of 25-50 km, depending on the type of charge. Average weight the mine fired was 67 kg. Gun caliber 450 mm.

2. Coastal gun 100-Ton Gun

The British 100-Ton Gun was used between 1877 and 1906. The caliber of the gun was 450 mm. The weight of the installation was 103 tons. It was intended to hit floating targets.

3. Railway howitzer BL 18

The BL 18 railway howitzer was built in Great Britain at the very end of the First World War. Its caliber was 457.2 mm. It was assumed that with the help of this weapon it would be possible to fire at the occupied territory of France.

4. Ship gun 40cm/45 Type 94

The Japanese 40cm/45 Type 94 naval gun appeared before the start of World War II. It is noteworthy that the actual caliber of the gun was 460 mm, and not 400 mm, as was indicated in all technical documentation. The gun could hit targets at a distance of up to 42 km.

5. Mons Meg

The Scottish siege gun Mons Meg had a caliber of 520 mm. This weapon was used from 1449 to 1680. The cannon fired stone, metal and stone-metal shells. This giant was intended to destroy fortress walls.

6. Karl-Gerät

If there was one thing the Germans excelled at, it was destruction. The Karl-Gerät super heavy mortar, better known as the "Thor", was used several times by the Wehrmacht in battles on the eastern front during World War II. Ultimately, the 600mm gun proved terribly impractical.

7. Schwerer Gustav & Dora

Another example of the creativity of Nazi military engineers. The Schwerer Gustav & Dora guns, each with a caliber of 800 mm, were so huge that they required two adjacent railroad tracks for installation.

8. Tsar Cannon

In the caliber race, the Russians beat the Germans in absentia. The well-known Tsar cannon has a caliber of 890 mm. The cannon was cast in 1586 and since then has always stood in Moscow. The weapon was never used in real combat, but it was created to the fullest extent of technology.

9. Little David gun

The 914mm Little David gun is a prime example of classic American defensive paranoia. It was created during the Second World War. It was planned that such guns would be installed on fortifications on the west coast in the event of an invasion by the Japanese Empire.

10. Mallet's Mortar

British gun Mallet's Mortar was created in 1857 and had a caliber of 914 mm. The cannon is a mortar that was supposed to be used to destroy enemy fortifications. The engineers did not specify how exactly it was planned to move the 43 tons.

11. M65 Atomic Cannon

The M65 Atomic Cannon atomic cannon is not at all a record holder in caliber, because in its case it is only 280 mm. However, this example of American weapons creativity remains one of the most powerful artillery installations in the world. The cannon was supposed to fire 15-ton nuclear charges at a distance of 40 km. Unfortunately for her, rocketry changed the approach to artillery once and for all in the second half of the 20th century.

Today, combat vehicles demonstrate the highest technological level and have turned into real death machines, which can be called the most effective weapon today.