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.

85-mm antitank gun D-48
85 mm antitank gun D-48.
Type	Anti-tank gun
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
Wars	Lebanese Civil War First Chechen War Second Chechen War
Production history
Designed	1948
Produced	1955–1957
Variants	Type 60
Specifications
Mass	2,350 kg (5,180.8 lbs)
Length	8.72 m (28.6 ft)
Barrel length	74 calibers (6.29 m)
Width	1.59 m (5.22 ft)
Height	1.89 m (6.2 ft)
Crew	6
Shell	Fixed QF 85×708mm R
Caliber	85 mm
Carriage	split trail
Elevation	-6° to 35°
Traverse	54°
Rate of fire	up to 15 rounds per minute (max) 8 rounds per minute (normal)
Muzzle velocity	1040 m/s
Effective firing range	1200 m
Maximum firing range	18.97 km (11.8 mi)
Sights	OP-2-77 OP-4-77

Overview

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. 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. 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.

The gun is towed by a URAL-375D truck 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

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

References

• 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.

External links

• Page in Russian on the D-48.