Engineering:2A46 125 mm gun

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2A46 125 mm gun
2A46M1 in Motovilikha Plants museum
TypeSmoothbore tank gun
Place of originUSSR
Service history
In serviceSince 1970
Specifications
Mass2A46: 2675 kg 2A46M: 2400 kg
Length2A46: 6350 mm 2A46M: 6381 mm
Calibre125 mm
Muzzle velocityAPDS: 1715-1800 m/s

HEAT: 905-950 m/s

HE: 760 m/s
Effective firing rangeAPDS / HEAT: 3000 m

HE: 4000 m

ATGM: 5000 m

The 2A46 (also called D-81TM) is a 125 mm/L48 smoothbore cannon of Soviet origin used in several main battle tanks. It was designed by OKB-9 in Sverdlovsk.

Description

It was developed by the Spetstekhnika Design Bureau in Ekaterinburg in the 1960s originally for the T-64A tank. They were subsequently manufactured at Artillery Plant No. 9 in Ekaterinburg and Motovilikha in Perm. Versions include 2A46, 2A46M, 2A46M-1, 2A46M-2, 2A46M-4, 2A46M-5 and the Ukrainian KBA-3.

The 2A46 can fire armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS), high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and high-explosive fragmentation (HEF) projectiles. The ammunition for the 2A46 gun is in two pieces: the projectile is loaded first, followed by a separate propellant charge.

The early version of the 2A46 suffered from a short barrel life, but this was subsequently rectified on the 2A46M version.

The Ukrainian KBA guns are derived from the 2A46 gun.

Projectile specifications for 2A46 and 2A46M[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Note: There are different ways to measure penetration value. NATO uses the 50% (This means that 50% of the shell had to go through the plate), while the Soviet/Russia standard is higher (80% had to go through). According to authorities like Paul Lakowski, the difference in performance can reach as much as 8%[7]
Shell index Projectile index Charge index Shell weight, kg Projectile weight, kg Charge weight, kg Penetration, mm/deg[note 1]
APDS shells
3VBM3 3BM9/3BM10 4Zh40 19.6 5.67 5.0/5.0+3.4 140/60°
3VBM6 3BM12/3BM13 4Zh40 19.6 5.67 5.0/5.0+3.4 150/60°
3VBM7 3BM15/3BM16 4Zh40 20.0 5.9 5.0/5.0+3.4 150/60°
3VBM8 3BM17/3BM18 4Zh40 20.0 5.9 5,0/5,0+3,4 150/60°
3VBM9 3BM22/3BM23 4Zh40 20.2 6.55 5,0/5,0+3,4 170/60°
3VBM11 3BM26/3BM27 4Zh63 20.43 7.05 5.3/5.3+2.9 200/60°
3VBM12 3BM29/3BM30 210/60°
3VBM13 3BM32/3BM38 4Zh63 20.55 7.05 5.3/5.3+2.9 250/60°
3VBM17 3BM42/3BM44 4Zh63 20.4 7.05 5.3/5.3+2.9 230/60°
3VBM19 3BM42M/3BM44M 4Zh63 20.4 7.05 5.3/5.3+2.9 270/60°
3VBM20 3BM46/3BM48 4Zh63 20.4 7.05 5.3/5.3+2.9 300/60°
125-mm KE[note 2] 6.7 5.5/5.5+3.3
ZPS 125 mm APFSDS-T[note 3] 4Zh63 5.855/5.855+3.0 230/60°
125-I[note 4] 23.0 7.37 220/61,5°
125-II[note 5] 23.0 7.44 300/60°
HEAT Shells
3VBK7 3BK12(M) 4Zh40 29.0 19.0 5.0 220/60°
3VBK10 3BK14(M) 4Zh40 29.0 19.0 5.0 220/60°
3VBK16 3BK18(M) 4Zh40 29.0 19.0 5.0 260/60°
3VBK17 3BK21B 4Zh52 29.0 19.0 10.0 260/60°
3VBK25 3BK29(M) 4Zh52 28.4 18.4 10.0 300/60°
3VBK27 3BK31 19.0 350/60°[note 6]
125-mm HEAT[note 7] 19.0 200/60°
125-mm HEAT-T[note 8] 33.0 23.0 10,0
125-mm HEAT-T[note 9] 19.5 200/60°
M88[note 10]
HE shells
3VOF22 3OF19 4Zh40 33.0 23.0 5.0 —
3VOF36 3OF26 4Zh40 33.0 23.0 5.0 —
Practice HEAT shells
3VP5 3P11 4Zh40 29.0 19.0 5.0
Practice APDS shells
3VP6 3P31/3P35 4Zh40 19.5 5.2 5.0/5.0+4.3 —
Practice HE shells
3VP24 3P23 4Zh40 33.0 23.0 5.0 —
Training shells
3VPU4 3PU12 4PU105 19.1 9.6 —
3VPU5 3PU13 4PU105 28.5 19.0 —
3VPU6 3PU14 4PU105 32.5 23.0 —
Inert — 4Kh33 — — 13 —
Guided weapons for 2A46-2, 2A46M and their variants
ATGMs[8][9][10][11][12]
9M112 9D129 33.2 250/60°
9M112M 300/60°
9M112M2 31.1 24 300..350/60°
9M124 33.6 27.9 450/60°
3UBK14 9M119 9Kh949 23.3 16.5 7.1 325..375/60°
Sokol-1 4Zh63 23.0 5.3 350/60°
Explosive ATGMs[13][14]
3UBK14F 9M119F 9Kh949 23.6 16.5 7.1 —
3UBK14F1 9M119F1 9Kh949 23.3 16.5 6.8 —
Guided weapons for 2A46M and its variants
3UBK20 9M119M 9Kh949 24.3 17.2 7.1 325..375/60°
3UBK20M 9M119M1 9Kh949 24.3 17.2 7.1 425..450/60°
AP shells for 2A46M-5
3VBM22 3BM59 4Zh96 750/0°
3VBM23 3BM60 4Zh96 700/0°
??? 3BM69 900/0°
??? 3BM70 800/0°

Tanks using the 2A46

Map with 2A46 operators in blue with former operators in red

The 2A46 has been used in numerous tanks, almost exclusively Soviet/Russian designs or foreign derivatives thereof

See also

  • 125 mm smoothbore ammunition
  • 2A45 Sprut - Soviet towed 125 mm anti-tank gun

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

Sources

References

  1. ↑ 2А46ТО1. 125-мм танковые пушки 2А26, 2А46, 2А46-1, 2А46М, 2А46М-1, 2А46-2. Техническое описание и инструкция по эксплуатации. Часть 3. Боеприпасы.
  2. ↑ Рособронэкспорт (2003). "Вооружение сухопутных войск". Каталог экспортного вооружения. «Интервестник». p. 120. 
  3. ↑ А. В. Карпенко (2001). "Часть 1". Каталог современного российского вооружения и конверсионной техники на международных выставках вооружений и военной техники (1992-2001 гг.). С-Пб.: «Бастион». p. 336. 
  4. ↑ А. Хлопотов. (2009). "Танк Т-72БА: посредственная модернизация или модернизация по средствам?". Техника и вооружение: вчера, сегодня, завтра (М.: Техинформ) (10): 20. 
  5. ↑ Jane’s Ammunition Handbook 2001—2002
  6. ↑ Суворов С. (2003). "Танк Т-64". Техника и вооружение: вчера, сегодня, завтра (М.: «Техинформ») (11): 28. ISSN 1682-7597. 
  7. ↑ http://dziennikzbrojny.pl/artykuly/art,5,19,9828,wojska-ladowe,czolgi,pokonac-pancerz-czesc-iii-dane-amunicji-apfsds-t
  8. ↑ "Противотанковая управляемая ракета "9М119 9М117"". Archived from the original on 2013-02-02. https://www.webcitation.org/6E8lwsJ72?url=http://ptyr.narod.ru/13_1.htm. Retrieved 2013-01-20. 
  9. ↑ А. В. Карпенко, Ракетные танки, стр. 36
  10. ↑ "Комплекс управляемого танкового вооружения 9К112 Кобра". Информационно-новостная система «Ракетная техника». Archived from the original on 2013-02-02. https://www.webcitation.org/6E8lxewBy?url=http://rbase.new-factoria.ru/missile/wobb/cobra/cobra.shtml. Retrieved 2013-01-20. 
  11. ↑ Энциклопедия XXI век. Оружие и технологии России. Том 12. Средства поражения и боеприпасы, стр. 185
  12. ↑ Р. Ангельский. (2006). ""Кобры" стерегут страну советов". Техника и вооружение: вчера, сегодня, завтра (М.: Техинформ) (07): 19. 
  13. ↑ "Выстрел 3УБК14Ф с управляемой ракетой 9М119Ф". Завод имени В.А. Дегтярёва. Archived from the original on 2013-02-27. https://www.webcitation.org/6EjxhyCkK?url=http://www.zid.ru/products/defence/51/detail/158. Retrieved 2013-02-23. 
  14. ↑ "Выстрел 3УБК14Ф1 с управляемой ракетой 9М119Ф1". Завод имени В.А. Дегтярёва. Archived from the original on 2013-02-27. https://www.webcitation.org/6EjxilgrP?url=http://www.zid.ru/products/defence/51/detail/157. Retrieved 2013-02-23. 

Notes

  1. ↑ Standard RHA plates at 2000 m
  2. ↑ Slovakian and Czech variants
  3. ↑ Polish variant
  4. ↑ Chinese variant
  5. ↑ Chinese variant
  6. ↑ ERA armor.
  7. ↑ Bulgarian variant
  8. ↑ Iranian variant
  9. ↑ Polish variant
  10. ↑ Yugoslavian variant




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