85 mm divisional gun D-44

Infobox Weapon
name=85-mm divisional gun D-44


caption=85 mm D-44 divisional gun.
origin=Soviet Union
type=Field gun
is_ranged=
is_bladed=
is_explosive=
is_artillery=yes
is_vehicle=
is_UK=
service=
used_by=
wars=
designer=
design_date=1943-1944
manufacturer=
production_date=1945-?
number=
variants=D-44N
SD-44
Chinese Type 56
weight=1,725 kg (3,803 lbs)
(D-44)
2,250 kg (4960 lbs)
(SD-44)
length=8.34 m (27.36 ft)
part_length=55 calibers
width=1.78m (6 ft)
height=1.42m (4.65 ft)
crew=8
cartridge=
caliber=85 mm (3.34 in)
action=
rate=up to 20 rounds per minute (burst)
velocity=1,030 m/s (3,379 ft/s)
range=1,150 m (1,257 yds) (HVAP-T)
max_range=15.65 km (9.72 mi)
feed=
sights=OP-2-7 w/5.5X Magnification
breech=
recoil=hydraulic recoil buffer
carriage=split trail
elevation=-7° to 35°
traverse=54°
blade_type=
hilt_type=
sheath_type=
head_type=
haft_type=
diameter=
filling=
filling_weight=
detonation=
yield=
armour=
primary_armament=
secondary_armament=
engine=
engine_power=
pw_ratio=
suspension=
vehicle_range=
speed=

The 85-mm divisional gun D-44 ( _ru. 85-мм дивизионная пушка Д-44) was a Soviet divisional 85-mm calibre field artillery gun used after World War II. It was designed as the replacement for the 76 mm divisional gun M1942 (ZiS-3). The gun is no longer in front-line service with the Russian Ground Forces, although some 200 of the Chinese Type 56 variant are still in service with the Pakistan Army. Wartime service included use by communist forces during the Vietnam War [ [http://sill-www.army.mil/FAMAG/1977/JAN_FEB_1977/JAN_FEB_1977_PAGES_42_47.pdf U.S. Artillery School article.] ] and by Arab forces during their conflicts with Israel.

Overview

The design of the D-44 started in 1943 at the design bureau of No.9 factory "Uralmash" and production began in late 1945. The SD-44 was a 1950 variant with an auxiliary propulsion unit, with 697 issued to airborne forces from 1954. [Six SD-44's were issued per antitank battery in each airborne regiment, for a total of 18 in an airborne division. Janes, p. 525.] The D-44N was a 1960s variant with an APN 3-7 infra-red illumination device for night combat. China received D-44's during the Korean War and began manufacturing a copy, the Type 56, in the early 1960s. [The People's Liberation Army assigned 12 Type 56 guns per artillery regiment. Brassey's, p. 124.] Finally, the Polish Army has equipped some of their D-44 guns with electrical subsystems and designated them D-44M and D-44MN. [Janes (2008), p. 899.]

The barrel was developed from that of the T-34-85 tank and was capable of firing 20-25 high explosive (HE), armor piercing, and high explosive antitank (HEAT) projectiles per minute. Subcaliber BR-365P HVAP-T (high velocity armor piercing-tracer) projectiles were capable of penetrating 100mm of armor at 1000 meters at a ninety-degree obliquity, and the BR-367P HVAP-T projectile penetrates 180mm of armor under the same conditions. [Janes (2008), p. 899.] The O-365K HE round weighed 9.5 kg and packed 741 grams of TNT as its bursting charge, while the BK-2M HEAT-FS (fin stabilized) projectile can penetrate 300mm of armor. The HEAT round for the Type 56 has a maximum range of 970 meters and will penetrate 100mm of armor at an angle of 65 degrees. [Brassey's p. 124.]

The gun uses GAZ-AA tires, and is towed by a 2.5t truck [Both ZIL-157's and URAL-375D's were used as towing trucks. See Janes and Kopenhagen.] or a Ya-12 tractor with the average speed of 20-25km/h on surfaced roads, and 11km/h over open terrain, with a maximum towing speed over asphalt roadway of about 55km/h. [ [http://easyget.narod.ru/artl/d_44.html 85-мм дивизионная пушка Д-44] ] The SD-44's auxiliary propulsion unit can move the gun at road speeds up to 25km/h. [ [http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/weg.pdf TRADOC Worldwide Equipment Guide, p. 5-4.] ]

The gun uses the OP-2-7 sight with 5.5x magnification for day combat. The sight permits target acquisition at 1500 meters. [WEG, p. 5-4.]

Production

The D-44 was produced from 1945 until 1953. During the years 1948-1950, over two thousand D-44's were produced per year. [Janes (2008), p. 899.]

Use by other nations

By the 1950s, the D-44 had been exported for use by Warsaw Pact nations [For example, the East German forces first publicly displayed SD-44 pieces in 1958. Kopenhagen, p. 48.] , with the gun remaining in service with the East German National People's Army until the fall of the East Germany. Besides Pakistan and East Germany, other users include(d) Albania, Algeria, Bulgaria, China (Type 56), Cuba, Egypt, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Laos, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Poland, Romania, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, and Vietnam. [Janes, p. 526.]

Citations

References

* Brassey's Encyclopedia of Land Forces and Warfare, Brassey's Inc., Washington D.C., 2000, ISBN 1-574-88087-X.
* "Die Landstreitkräfte der NVA", Wilfried Kopenhagen, Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttart, 2003, ISBN 3-613-02297-4.
* "German Artillery of World War Two", Ian V. Hogg, Greenhill Books, London, 2002. ISBN 1-85367-480-X.
* "Jane's Armour and Artillery 1981-1982", Jane's Publishing Company Ltd, London, 1982.
* "Jane's Armour and Artillery 2007-2008", Jane's Publishing Company Ltd, London, 2007. ISBN 1-397-80710-627940.
* 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.
* "The American Arsenal", Ian V. Hogg (introduction), Greenhill Books, London, 2001. ISBN 1-85367-470-2.
* [http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/weg.pdf TRADOC Worldwide Equipment Guide]

External links

* [http://www.battlefield.ru/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149&Itemid=65&lang=ru Ammunition data on BattleField.Ru]
* [http://www.freeweb.hu/gva/weapons/soviet_guns5.html Armor penetration table]
* [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:D-44_85_mm_gun More photos of the D-44 at Wikipedia Commons]