2A46

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 or from the 2A46M-1 P_max chamber pressure.

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.

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-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)
* 2A46M-5: Used on T-90M and T72B3 Obr.2016.
* 2A82-1M: Used on T-14 Armata.

Source:

China

* ZPT98: Used on ZTZ96 and ZTZ99.

Ukraine

* KBA-3: Used on T-84.
Slovakia

* 2A46MS: Used on T-72 M2 Moderna and PT-91M Pendekar

Tanks using the 2A46

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

*
** T-72A
** T-72B
** T-90S

*
** T-72A
** T-72B
** T-72AV
** T-72 "Aslan"
** T-90S

* Bangladesh
** Type 59G(BD) Durjoy
*
** Type 96B
** Type 99
*
** M-95 Degman
** M-84D
*
** T-80U
** T-80UK
*
** T-72M4CZ
** T-72M1
*
** T-72SIM1
*
** Zulfiqar
** Karrar
* Iraq
** Asad Babil tank
*
** T-80U
** T-80UK
*
** Chonma-ho V (Ma)
** Pokpung-Ho II & III
*
**PT-91M Pendekar
*
** PT-91 Twardy
* Socialist Republic of Romania
** TR-125
*
** 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
*
** M-84AS
*
** T-90
** T-72
*
** T-84
** VT-4
*
** T-84
** T-64
** T-80
** T-72
*
**T-90S
** T-90SK
*
** 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

Notes

External links

{{Post WWII Soviet tank guns

125 mm artillery
Tank guns of the Soviet Union
Military equipment introduced in the 1970s