85 mm anti-tank gun D-48

85-mm antitank gun D-48
85 mm antitank gun D-48.
TypeAnti-tank gun
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
WarsLebanese Civil War
First Chechen War
Second Chechen War
Production history
Designed1948
Produced1955–1957
VariantsType 60
Specifications
Mass2,350 kg (5,180.8 lbs)
Length8.72 m (28.6 ft)
Barrel length74 calibers (6.29 m)
Width1.59 m (5.22 ft)
Height1.89 m (6.2 ft)
Crew6
ShellFixed QF 85×708mm R[1]
Caliber85 mm
Carriagesplit trail
Elevation-6° to 35°
Traverse54°
Rate of fireup to 15 rounds per minute (max)
8 rounds per minute (normal)
Muzzle velocity1040 m/s
Effective firing range1200 m
Maximum firing range18.97 km (11.8 mi)
SightsOP-2-77
OP-4-77

The 85-mm antitank gun D-48 (Russian: 85-мм противотанковая пушка Д-48) was a Soviet 85-mm calibre anti-tank gun used after World War II. It was designed as the replacement for the 100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3). Distinguishing features of the D-48 include a very long barrel and a pepper-pot muzzle brake. The D-48 was itself replaced in the 1960s by the T-12 antitank gun.[2]

Overview

The gun was designed by the F. F. Petrov Design Bureau on the basis of the D-44 85-mm divisional gun and production of the D-48 began in 1953 at the No. 75 factory in Yurga. The D-48 used the breechblock from the BS-3 100-mm field gun in order to achieve a rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute at maximum cadence.[3] The gun can transition from march to combat order in about two minutes.

The D-48N was a version with an APN 2-77 or 3-77 infrared imaging device fitted for night combat. A licensed version of the D-48 was produced in China as the Type 60.

The gun fires a high velocity armor-piercing-capped-ballistic-cap tracer (APCBC-T) BR-372 Projectile at 1040 meters per second and can penetrate 185mm of armor at a range of 1000 meters at an angle of obliquity of 90 degrees.[3] The 3BK-7 high explosive antitank (HEAT) projectile can penetrate 192mm of armor at an angle of obliquity of 60 degrees. The effective range of armor-piercing shells for the D-48 is 1,230 meters (HVAP-T) or 940 meters (HEAT). Additionally, the D-48 antitank gun is capable of firing a 9.66 kilogram OF-372 high explosive projectile to a direct fire range of 1,200 meters or an indirect fire range of 18.97 kilometers. The Ammunition for the D-48 was developed by necking down 100-mm ammunition in order to achieve higher muzzle velocities.[4]

The gun is towed by a URAL-375D truck[5] or an AT-P tractor with a maximum towing speed over asphalt roadway of about 60 km/h. The tires on the D-48 are those of the ZIS-5 truck.

Designs with auxiliary power units were also investigated but never developed beyond prototype stage.

Performance of D-48 and comparable weapons
Effectiveness against rolled homogeneous armor
Weapon Muzzle Velocity, meters per second Penetration in mm
85 mm D-48 (firing BR-372 APCBC) 1040 195 (at 90°, range 1000 meters)
8.8 cm PaK 43 (firing PzGr 40/43 APCR) 1200 228 (at 90°, range 1000 meters)
90 mm M3 (firing M304 APCR) 1021 173 (at 30°, range 914 meters)
These data are not directly comparable as various measurement methods are used.
They are, however, illustrative of the relative performance of the weapons.

Use by other nations

The D-48 has been exported to Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Congo, India, Iraq, North Korea, Mongolia, Mozambique, Romania, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Vietnam.[5]

Citations

  1. ^ Foss, Christopher (1977). Jane's pocket book of towed artillery. New York: Collier. p. 45. ISBN 0020806000. OCLC 911907988.
  2. ^ "Post-war anti-tank artillery. 85-mm D-48 TAP — Encyclopedia of safety".
  3. ^ a b "Page in Russian on the D-48". Archived from the original on 2008-09-28. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
  4. ^ Janes, p. 525.
  5. ^ a b Janes, p. 526.

References

  • Brassey's Encyclopedia of Land Forces and Warfare, Brassey's Inc., Washington D.C., 2000, ISBN 1-57488-087-X.
  • Die Landstreitkräfte der NVA, Wilfried Kopenhagen, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttart, 2003, ISBN 3-613-02297-4.
  • Jane's Armour and Artillery 1981-1982, Jane's Publishing Company Ltd, London, 1982.
  • Shunkov V. N. - The Weapons of the Red Army, Mn. Harvest, 1999 (Шунков В. Н. - Оружие Красной Армии. — Мн.: Харвест, 1999.) ISBN 985-433-469-4.
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