2A46 125 mm gun

Smoothbore tank gun

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 (Artillery Plant No. 9) in Yekaterinburg.

Description

It was developed by the Spetstekhnika Design Bureau in Ekaterinburg in the 1960s originally for the T-64 tank. They were subsequently manufactured at Artillery Plant No. 9 in Ekaterinburg and Motovilikha in Perm. Other variations include 2A46M, 2A46M-1, 2A46M-2, 2A46M-4, 2A46M-5, and Ukrainian KBA-3 and Chinese ZPT-98.

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 versions of the 2A46 suffered from a relatively short barrel life, but this was rectified on the 2A46M-1 version. Depending on the version it offers 510.0 MPa (73,970 psi) or from the 2A46M-1 650.0 MPa (94,270 psi) P_max chamber pressure.^[1]

The Ukrainian KBA-3 guns are based on the 2A46 gun. In addition, the Chinese ZPT-98 is based on 2A46M imported from Russia's T-72 or T-80.^[2]

Projectiles

Variants

Soviet Union and Russia

• 2A46-1 / DT-81TM (1970): Used on T-64A and T-72A.
• 2A46-2 / DT-81K (1976): Used on T-64B and T-80B.
• 2A46M (1981): Used on T-72AV, and T-72B.
• 2A46M-1 (1981): Used on T-64BV, T-72B, T-80BV and T-80U.
• 2A46M-2 (1992): Used on T-72S, T-90, T-90A, and T-90S tanks.
• 2A46M-4: Used on Object 640 (aka, Black Eagle) ^{[citation needed]}
• 2A46M-5: Used on T-90M, T-80BVM, and T72B3 Obr2017.
• 2A82-1M: Used on T-14 Armata.^[17]

Source:^[18]

China

• ZPT98: Used on ZTZ96 and ZTZ99.^[2]

Ukraine

• KBA-3: Used on T-84.^[19]

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:

• Bangladesh
  • Type 59G(BD) Durjoy
•  China
  • Type 96B
  • Type 99
•  Croatia
  • M-95 Degman
  • M-84D
•  Cyprus
  • T-80U
  • T-80UK
•  Czech Republic
  • T-72M4CZ
  • T-72M1
•  Georgia
  • T-72SIM1
•  Iran
  • Zulfiqar
  • Karrar
• Iraq
  • Asad Babil tank
•  South Korea
  • T-80U
  • T-80UK
•  North Korea
  • Chonma-ho V (Ma)
  • Pokpung-Ho II & III
•  Malaysia
  • PT-91M Pendekar
•  Poland
  • PT-91 Twardy
• Socialist Republic of Romania
  • TR-125
•  Russia
  • T-90
  • T-80
  • T-72
  • T-67 (125mm gun-armed T-62)
  • T-64 (after T-64A variant)
  • T-55M6
  • Obyekt 640/Black Eagle
•  Serbia
  • M-84AS
•  Syria
  • T-90
  • T-72
•  Thailand
  • T-84
  • VT-4
•  Ukraine
  • T-84
  • T-64
  • T-80
  • T-72
•  Vietnam
  • T-90S
  • T-90SK
•  Yugoslavia
  • M-84

See also

• 125 mm smoothbore ammunition
• 2A45 Sprut - Soviet towed 125 mm anti-tank gun
• 2A82-1M - New Russian 125-mm equivalent, developed by Uralvagonzavod in 2014.

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era

• L11A5 120 mm rifled gun: British rifled equivalent, developed by Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment (RARDE) in 1957.
• Rheinmetall 120 mm gun: German equivalent, developed by Rheinmetall in 1974.
• CN120-25 120 mm gun: French equivalent, developed by Établissement d'Études et de Fabrication d'Armements de Bourges (EFAB) in 1979.
• EXP-28M1 120 mm rifled tank gun: Experimental British weapon of the late 1970s/early 1980s. Was to have equipped the MBT-80.
• CN120-26 120 mm gun: French equivalent, developed by EFAB in 1980s.
• IMI 120 mm gun: Israeli equivalent, developed by Israeli Military Industries in 1988.
• OTO Breda 120 mm gun: Italian equivalent, developed by OTO Melara in 1988.
• L30A1 120 mm rifled gun: British rifled equivalent, developed by ROF Nottingham in 1989.
• JSW 120 mm gun: Japanese equivalent, developed by Japan Steel Works in 2008.
• CN08 120 mm gun: South Korean equivalent, developed by Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and WIA in 2008.
• MKE 120 mm tank gun: Turkish equivalent, developed by Otokar and Hyundai WIA in 2016.

Sources

• http://fofanov.armor.kiev.ua/

References

1. "Vasiliy Fofanov's Modern Russian Armor Page". Archived from the original on 2010-08-19. Retrieved 2010-09-22.
2. Charlie Gao (20 December 2021). "Chinese Tanks Still Lag Behind Other Top Armies". The national interest. Archived from the original on 8 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
3. 2А46ТО1. 125-мм танковые пушки 2А26, 2А46, 2А46-1, 2А46М, 2А46М-1, 2А46-2. Техническое описание и инструкция по эксплуатации. Часть 3. Боеприпасы.
4. Рособронэкспорт (2003) [Land forces weapons. Export catalogue]. "Вооружение сухопутных войск". Каталог экспортного вооружения. «Интервестник». p. 120.
5. 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.
6. А. Хлопотов. (2009). "Танк Т-72БА: посредственная модернизация или модернизация по средствам?". Техника и вооружение: вчера, сегодня, завтра (10). М.: Техинформ: 20.
7. Jane’s Ammunition Handbook 2001—2002
8. Суворов С. (2003). "Танк Т-64". Техника и вооружение: вчера, сегодня, завтра (Журнал) (11). М.: «Техинформ»: 28. ISSN 1682-7597.
9. "Pokonać pancerz! Część III – dane amunicji APFSDS-T". Archived from the original on 2018-07-02. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
10. "Противотанковая управляемая ракета "9М119 9М117"". Archived from the original on 2012-01-12. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
11. А. В. Карпенко, Ракетные танки, стр. 36
12. "Комплекс управляемого танкового вооружения 9К112 Кобра". Информационно-новостная система «Ракетная техника». Archived from the original on 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
13. Энциклопедия XXI век. Оружие и технологии России. Том 12. Средства поражения и боеприпасы, стр. 185
14. Р. Ангельский. (2006). ""Кобры" стерегут страну советов". Техника и вооружение: вчера, сегодня, завтра (7). М.: Техинформ: 19.
15. "Выстрел 3УБК14Ф с управляемой ракетой 9М119Ф". Завод имени В.А. Дегтярёва. Archived from the original on 2013-03-05. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
16. "Выстрел 3УБК14Ф1 с управляемой ракетой 9М119Ф1". Завод имени В.А. Дегтярёва. Archived from the original on 2013-03-05. Retrieved 2013-02-23.
17. "Overview". www.militaryperiscope.com. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
18. "120mm and 125mm Main Guns". fofanov.armor.kiev.ua. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
19. "Ukrainian Tanks". www.pmulcahy.com. Retrieved 2022-12-23.

Notes

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

External links