85 mm anti-tank gun D-48

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]

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

Overview

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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

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

Citations

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  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

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  • 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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