MT-12
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MT-12 or 2A29 is a
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. Some examples of smoothbore weapons are muskets, blunderbusses, and flintlock pistols. ...
100 mm
anti-tank gun An anti-tank gun is a form of artillery designed to destroy tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, normally from a static defensive position. The development of specialized anti-tank munitions and anti-tank guns was prompted by the appearance ...
, which served as the primary towed anti-tank artillery in the Soviet army from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. It has seen significant use in the
Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...
.


History

The
100 mm anti-tank gun T-12 2A19 or T-12 is a Soviet-designed 100-mm anti-tank gun. It was the first anti-tank gun to adopt a smoothbore barrel, and to introduce modern armor piercing shot, like the APFSDS. It uses long projectiles that are more powerful than its caliber ...
, which had entered service in 1961, proved very successful. Its shortcomings had to do with its use of the carriage of the
85 mm anti-tank gun D-48 The 85-mm antitank gun D-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- ...
. This was so narrow that the T-12 was prone to topple over its side and could only be towed through the terrain at 15 km/h. Also, the
equilibrator A gun carriage is a frame or a mount that supports the gun barrel of an artillery piece, allowing it to be maneuvered and fired. These platforms often had wheels so that the artillery pieces could be moved more easily. Gun carriages are also use ...
had to be redesigned, as described below. Together with some lesser considerations, this led to the development of the T-12A, later known as MT-12, GRAU-index 2A29.


Characteristics


Carriage

The carriage is the main difference between the MT-12 and the T-12. Its track width is 1.91 m instead of only 1.465 m, and it has a more robust suspension. This allows the MT-12 to be also towed by the tracked
MT-LB The MT-LB (, literally "multi-purpose towing vehicle light armored") is a Soviet Union, Soviet multi-purpose, fully amphibious vehicle, amphibious, tracked Armoured fighting vehicle, armored fighting vehicle in use since the 1970s. It was also ...
, instead of only by a truck. The conditions in Russia itself, with few roads and a terrain that turns to mud at least once a year, explain how important tracked movement is. The new carriage also allowed the MT-12 to be towed through the terrain at 25 km/h instead of only 15 km/h. On the left arm of the carriage is a castering wheel which can be unfolded. It allows the 7-men crew to manhandle the 3,000 kg gun over short distances without the use of a towing vehicle. The equilibrator of the MT-12 differs from that of the T-12. An equilibrator serves to keep the gun in balance, even while the barrel weight on both sides of the
trunnion A trunnion () is a cylinder, cylindrical Boss (engineering), protrusion used as a mounting or pivoting point. First associated with cannons, they are an important military development. In mechanical engineering (see the Trunnion#Trunnion bearin ...
differs. This allows easy elevation of the gun barrel. The MT-12 uses a very prominent coil spring equilibrator. Standing behind the gun, the barrel has a single tube above it in the same position on each side, running almost from the shield to the breech block. These two tubes are part of the recoil system. Above the right tube is another tube at a slightly different horizontal angle, this is the equilibrator. It is a heavy and bulky thing compared to the much smaller pneumatic equilibrator of the T-12, but is also more reliable and user-friendly. On the rear view, the equilibrator has a lid with six bolts at its end. It presence allows easy discrimination between the T-12 and the MT-12. In order to accommodate the larger weight of the MT-12, its carriage has bigger wheels. These are the same as those of the ZiL-150 truck. The wheels are also helpful to tell T-12 and MT-12 apart. That of the T-12 is secured by six bolts. The wheel of the MT-12 is secured by eight bolts.


The 100 mm 2A29 gun

The 100 mm caliber gun has a 6,300 mm long barrel. The chamber is 915 mm long. The end of the barrel is strengthened and has 80 holes. It serves as a muzzle brake. The semi-automatic breech block system consists of opening and closing cylinders and a transfer system. The breech block has a safety system that prevents the gun from firing if the breech is not completely closed. Together with cartridge ammunition the semi-automatic loading system results in a high rate of fire of up to 14 rounds per minute.


Optics and aiming

The MT-12 has multiple
sights A sight or sighting device is any device used to assist in precise visual alignment (i.e. ''aiming'') of weapons, surveying instruments, aircraft equipment, optical illumination equipment or larger optical instruments with the intended target. ...
, which can all be installed at the same time. The gun shield has three panels which can be folded away to allow usage of one of the sights, or remain closed when that sight is not needed. When the enemy is still at distance, the crew might open all three observation panels of the shield to allow use of the panoramic periscope sight of the S71-40 mount. This allows the gunner to scan for targets. While doing so, the gun-shield still protects his body. Only the part of his head protected by his helmet gets exposed. In close combat only the small vertical panel that forms a loophole for direct fire observation is opened. Behind it, the OP4M-40U sight is mounted. This has a 5.5 times magnification and an angle of view of 11 degrees. Closing the other panels allows the crew to move behind the shield without risk of getting hit by small arms fire from enemy infantry or tanks. The gun also has a passive night sight. At first this was the APN-5-40, later the APN-6-40 known as (Cranberry). As these do not use power, these are very big and vulnerable devices. They were therefore dismounted before transport, and only attached to the gun before dusk if the gun was in position. The MT-12 can also use other night sights, like the 1PN35, 1PN53, or APN-7. For
indirect fire Indirect fire is aiming and firing a projectile without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target, as in the case of direct fire. Aiming is performed by calculating azimuth and inclination, and may include correcting ...
aiming, the MT-12 is equipped with the S71-40 mechanical artillery sight, PG-1M panoramic telescope and the K-1
collimator A collimator is a device which narrows a beam of particles or waves. To narrow can mean either to cause the directions of motion to become more aligned in a specific direction (i.e., make collimated light or parallel rays), or to cause the spat ...
sight.


Ammunition


Anti-tank shot

Against tanks, the MT-12 can fire
armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot Armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS), long dart penetrator, or simply dart ammunition is a type of kinetic energy penetrator ammunition used to attack modern vehicle armour. As an armament for main battle tanks, it succeeds a ...
(APFSDS) and
high-explosive anti-tank High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) is the effect of a shaped charge explosive that uses the Munroe effect to penetrate heavy armor. The warhead functions by having an explosive charge collapse a metal liner inside the warhead into a high-velocity ...
(HEAT) rounds. The HEAT shot has more penetration, but can easily be defeated by measures like
reactive armour Reactive armour is a type of vehicle armour used in protecting vehicles, especially modern tanks, against shaped charges and hardened kinetic energy penetrators. The most common type is ''explosive reactive armour'' (ERA), but variants include ...
and
composite armour Composite armour is a type of vehicle armour consisting of layers of different materials such as metals, plastics, ceramics or air. Most composite armours are lighter than their all-metal equivalent, but instead occupy a larger volume for the sa ...
. The APFSDS round relies on a (high) terminal velocity at impact and after that on its length. This makes the APFSDS directly dependent on the power of the gun that fires it. By the mid-1990s modern tanks had a frontal armor protection of between 800 and 900 mm of rolled homogeneous armor (RHA). With the ammunition then at its disposal, the MT-12 could not expect to penetrate such armor. In this respect, the 100 mm caliber gun had reached its physical limits.


Tube fired anti-tank missile

In 1981 the tube-fired missile weapon system 9K116 Kastet entered service. The shot fires a laser guided missile often designated as
9M117 Bastion The 9M117 Bastion is a Soviet laser beam-riding anti-tank missile. It is used in a number of separate weapon systems, including the 9K116-1 Bastion missile system (AT-10 Stabber), 9K118 Sheksna (AT-12 Swinger), T-12 anti-tank gun and the 3UBK ...
. It has a reduced powder charge that makes the missile leave the barrel at about 450 m/s. 1.5 seconds later, the rocket motor ignites. As it reaches its target at maximum range, the speed is only about 300 m/s. The target is found by riding a laser beam. The laser guidance unit for the Kastet system is mounted on a separate tripod. By the mid-1990s, the Kastet was also no longer able to defeat the frontal armor of modern tanks, as can be seen from the claimed armor penetration of the missile and its upgrades: * 3UBK10, a 9M117 ''Bastion'' missile. Claimed average armor penetration of 550 mm
rolled homogeneous armour Rolled homogeneous armour (RHA) is a type of vehicle armour made of a single steel composition hot-rolled to improve its material characteristics, as opposed to layered or cemented armour. Its first common application was in tanks. After World W ...
equivalency (RHAe) after ERA * 3UBK10M, 9M117M ''Kan'' Tandem
HEAT In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, ato ...
missile. Claimed average armor penetration of 600 mm RHAe after ERA * 3UBK23, 9M117M1 (Russian) ''Arkan'' Tandem
HEAT In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, ato ...
missile with extended range of 6,000 m. Claimed average armor penetration of 750 mm 550 mm RHAe after ERA * The ''Stugna'' or ''Skif'' (Ukrainian) portable ATGM fires a 130 mm rocket, but also has a 100 mm tube launched variant. This has a claimed range of range of 5,000 m, and a claimed average armor penetration of not less than 550 mm RHAe after ERA.


Shot against soft targets

The MT-12 also fires High Explosive (HE) shells. These are an absolute necessity for an anti tank gun to defend itself against enemy infantry. For combat in general, the HE-shells can be used to combat enemy infantry and soft targets like trucks or enemy artillery.


Default ammunition stock

The default ammunition stock of the MT-12 when towed by the
MT-LB The MT-LB (, literally "multi-purpose towing vehicle light armored") is a Soviet Union, Soviet multi-purpose, fully amphibious vehicle, amphibious, tracked Armoured fighting vehicle, armored fighting vehicle in use since the 1970s. It was also ...
was twenty rounds. These were ten solid armor-piercing rounds (BPS), six HEAT shaped-charge rounds (KS) and four high-explosive grenades (OFS) for use against “soft” targets.


Variants


MT-12K

The MT-12K, or 2A29K has a laser device for guiding the 9M117 missile shot fired by the 9K116 Kastet system, see above. It is not clear whether simply adding the separate tripod mounted guiding device turns an MT-12 into an MT-12K. The MT-12K was not exported by the Soviet Union.


MT-12R

The MT-12R or 2A29R was taken into service from 1981 to 1990. It has the small 1A31 radar fire control system. This does automatic target detection, range finding, tracking and engagement at distances up to 3,500 m. It enables the gun to quickly find and hit targets at night, and in other conditions of poor or no visibility. The MT-12R was not exported by the Soviet Union.


Self propelled variant

In Ukraine, a self-propelled variant of the MT-12 mounted on an
MT-LB The MT-LB (, literally "multi-purpose towing vehicle light armored") is a Soviet Union, Soviet multi-purpose, fully amphibious vehicle, amphibious, tracked Armoured fighting vehicle, armored fighting vehicle in use since the 1970s. It was also ...
has been reported. Inspection of the footage shows that the first such conversion made by locals, used a T-12, not an MT-12. The gun mask (shield part below the gun) is that of a T-12. Furthermore, the videos do not show the big MT-12 equilibrator on the gun. A later version made by Ukrtransgazu also shows no such equilibrator, but two more specimens might use the MT-12.


Algerian MT-12 on truck

In 2017, the Algerian military displayed a locally developed variant mounting an MT-12 on a
Mercedes-Benz Zetros The Mercedes-Benz Zetros is an off-road truck for extreme operations. It was first presented at the 2008 Eurosatory defence industry trade show in Paris. The Zetros is manufactured at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth am Rhein, Wörth, Germany. Th ...
truck. It includes four stabilization legs to absorb firing impacts.


Use


Intended use

In the Soviet Union the MT-12 entered production in 1970. Just like the T-12, the MT-12 was used in anti-tank battalions of 18 guns, divided in 3 batteries of 6 guns each. This was the organizational structure for these guns during the entirety of the Cold War. However, if enough missile tank destroyers were available, one of the batteries would be replaced by one of 9 anti-tank guided missile platforms (ATGM). During the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
the Soviet Union thought of the MT-12 as a defensive and expendable weapon. It was cost-effective, meaning that a lot of them could be produced and deployed. It could be entrenched, and due to its low height, it could easily be concealed to strike from a short distance. This use was intended to free up tanks and self-propelled guns for more important duties. At the time that the MT-12 and its predecessor the T-12 entered service the capability to fire HE-shells was common to most anti-tank guns. These HE shells could be used in
direct fire Direct fire or line-of-sight fire refers to firing of a ranged weapon whose projectile is launched directly at a target within the line-of-sight of the user. The firing weapon must have a sighting device and an unobstructed view to the target, ...
and in
indirect fire Indirect fire is aiming and firing a projectile without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target, as in the case of direct fire. Aiming is performed by calculating azimuth and inclination, and may include correcting ...
. In the latter, the MT-12 serves as an artillery weapon. However, the limited elevation of the MT-12 of only 20 degrees limits its range as an artillery weapon. This is only about 8.2 km.


Use in 2014-2015

The use of the MT-12 and other towed anti-tank guns has been studied in some detail for the
War in Donbas The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014), began in April 2014, when Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, Russian para ...
up to 2017. In the Donbas, the T-64 was the most common tank. The MT-12 can penetrate its frontal armor at shorter distances. However, before the front lines stabilized after the Ukrainian defeat in the August-September 2014
Battle of Ilovaisk The Battle of Ilovaisk started on 7 August 2014, when the Armed Forces of Ukraine and pro-Ukrainian paramilitaries began a series of attempts to capture the city of Ilovaisk from pro-Russian insurgents affiliated with the Donetsk People's Rep ...
, the MT-12 was rarely seen, because maneuverable warfare prevented its wide employment. From September 2014 to February 2015 it then played a significant role. It was seen on both sides during the January-February 2015
Battle of Debaltseve The Battle of Debaltseve was a military confrontation in the city of Debaltseve, Donetsk Oblast, between the pro-Russian separatist forces of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), and the Ukrainian Armed Forc ...
. The final 2017 conclusion about the towed anti-tank gun was that: 'Moreover, its ability to be used in indirect fire makes the weapon ideally suited for the prolonged positional warfare that dominates the last two years of the Ukrainian conflict.


Current use in 2022-2023

At the start of the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
, the Ukrainian Army still used both MT-12 and MT-12R, and the Russian proxies still used the MT-12. On the Ukrainian side, the Territorial Defense brigades, composed of local volunteers, have been issued MT-12 guns. The MT-12 might give these reserve units a chance against Russian armor. However, it seems that while the first line units of the Ukrainian army use rocket artillery in direct fire, and the
2S1 Gvozdika The 2S1 ''Gvozdika'' (, "Dianthus caryophyllus, Carnation") is a Soviet Self-propelled artillery, self-propelled howitzer introduced in 1972 and is in service in Russia and other countries . It is based on the MT-LBu multi-purpose chassis, mount ...
in indirect fire, the MT-12 does both for the territorial defense units. The indirect fire capability was already significant in 2017. A video of the national guard firing the gun in actual combat indeed shows it being used at near maximum elevation. All this shows that in practice, the MT-12 is now widely used as a support gun. This was also reported about the self propelled variant, which has been given an increased elevation. On the Russian side, a train load of MT-12s was pulled from storage and sent to the front in March 2023. Russia was expected to use these to increase artillery availability on the front. In mid-April two MT-12s were observed and destroyed while in an anti tank position.


Operators

Incomplete list of MT-12 operators: *:unknown quantity *: 126 in 2021 * in the 1990s *: 20 in 2021 *: 18 T-12/MT-12 in 2021 *: 31 in 2021 *: ? T-12/MT-12 in 2021 *: 526 in 2021, with a further 2,000 T-12/MT-12 in storage *: 60 T-12/MT-12 in 2021 *: c. 500 T-12/MT-12 in 2021 **: ? MT-12 in 2021 **: ? MT-12 in 2021 *: 60 T-12/MT-12 in 2021


Former operators

* * * *


Wars

The MT-12 has served in many conflicts: *
Soviet–Afghan War The Soviet–Afghan War took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Marking the beginning of the 46-year-long Afghan conflict, it saw the Soviet Union and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic o ...
(1979–1989) *
Persian Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
(1990–1991) *
Transnistria War The Transnistria War (; ) was an armed conflict that broke out on 2 November 1990 in Dubăsari between pro-Transnistria (Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, PMR) forces, including the Transnistrian Republican Guard, militia and neo-Cossack unit ...
(1990–1992) *
Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...
(2014–present)


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * {{SovArtyColdWar 100 mm artillery Anti-tank guns of the Soviet Union Cold War artillery of the Soviet Union Anti-tank guns of the Cold War Military equipment introduced in the 1960s