Wednesday 10 February 2016

Experimental Tank Guns, 1940


Name Mass Practical rate of fire Horizontal range Vertical range Shot range at max elevation Muzzle velocity Shell weight Shell capability Notes
76 mm tank gun F-34 in a T-34 tank 1030 kg 6-8 RPM 360 deg -4 deg
+30 deg
11 km 680 m/s 6.5 kg Penetrates 60 mm at 400 meters.
Penetrates 50 mm at 30 degrees at 850 meters.
Using shells from the 76 mm divisional gun. Due by December 1st.
76 mm gun for the KV-1 1200 kg 5-6 RPM 360 deg -4 deg
+25 deg
14 km 813 m/s 6.5 kg Penetrates 70 mm at 30 degrees at 1000 meters. Uses shells from the 76 mm AA gun. Due by September 1st, 1940
85 mm gun for the KV-1 1200 kg 5-6 RPM 360 deg -4 deg
+25 deg
14.5 km 800 m/s 9.2 kg Estimated: penetrates 88 mm at 30 degrees at 1000 meters Due by September 1st, 1940
107 mm gun for the KV with oscillating part from the M-60 corps gun 1500 kg 3 RPM 360 deg -3 deg
+15 deg
12 km 730 m/s 18.8 kg Penetrates 100 mm at 30 degrees at 900 meters. Due by November 1st, 1940

The penetration numbers for the F-34 look a bit weedy, but that's explained by the use of existing 76 mm shells instead of custom made ones.

The next gun is the F-27, a gun with 76 mm mod. 1931 AA gun ballistics. The gun was trialled on the T-28 and was meant to be a firepower boost for KV-1 tanks, until the war began and it was discovered that such a boost was no longer needed. In 1943, an attempt was made to use a gun with these ballistics on the T-34, but the appearance of the T-34-85 made that unnecessary.

The 85 mm gun is the F-30, and its trials in 1940 should put to rest any claims that the upgunning of Soviet tanks to 85 mm was caused by Tiger tanks. This gun was trialled in the T-28 and then in the T-220, but did not finish trials before the war began.

The last gun is the ZiS-6 that we all know and love. The gun was designed for the KV-3, 4, and 5 tanks, and trialled in a KV-2 turret. Later, it was proposed for use in the IS-2, but lost that contest to the D-25.

1 comment:

  1. The plateaued 76mm penetration data (60mm @ 0° at 400m and 50mm @ 30°) at 950m indicate problems by break up and/ or bending, compresing, upset.

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