100 mm anti-tank gun T-12

January 2020 2A19 (T-12) 100 mm anti-tank gun 100-мм противотанковая пушка Т-12 Рапира (2).jpg 300 T-12 displayed in the Artillery Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Soviet Union Anti-tank gun yes 1961–present See Operators See Combat history 2750 kg lb on 9.16 m ftin onJane's Pocket Book of Towed Artillery Foss Christopher 1977 Collier 55 0020806000 New York 911907988 6.3 m ftin on 63 calibers 1.795 m ftin on 1 1.565 m ftin on 1 6 Fixed QF 100 × 910 mmR (R/147mm) 100 mm in 14 rpm (max possible)10 rpm (max likely)4 to 6 rpm (typical) See Ammunition See Ammunition Hydro-pneumatic Transport: Ural-375D (6×6)On road: 60 km/h (37 mph)Off road: 15 km/h (9 mph) −10° to +20° 27° left or right 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 suggests. The T-12 served as the primary towed anti-tank artillery in the Soviet and Bulgarian armies from the early 1960s to the late 1980s. History The T-12 was designed by the construction bureau of the Yurga Machine-Building Plant as a replacement for the BS-3 100 mm gun. The first serial examples were produced in 1955,Hull Markov Zaloga 1999 VI-13 but the T-12 entered service only in 1961. Its special feature was the use of a smoothbore gun.Широкорад 1997Dyčka 2017 101 The T-12 was typically deployed in the anti-tank units of armored and motor rifle regiments to protect flanks against counter-attacks during rapid advances.Hull Markov Zaloga 1999 VI-13 In 1971, a new variant was introduced, T-12A or MT-12 "Rapira" (2A29). This has the same barrel, but has a redesigned carriage and gun shield. This allows the MT-12 to be towed by the MT-LB, giving greater mobility.Dyčka 2017 101 The 2A29R "Ruta" or MT-12R is an MT-12 version with a radar system. From 1981, the gun could fire the laser beam-riding guided missile 9M117 Kastet (weapon system 9K116) and carried the new designator 2A29K "Kastet" or MT-12K.Dyčka 2017 102 By the mid-1990s, modern western tanks' frontal armor protection could no longer be penetrated by a 100 mm gun. The 100 mm caliber ammunition had reached the limits of what could be achieved with it.Hull Markov Zaloga 1999 VI-14 For a static anti-tank that cannot move to attack the sides of an opponent this is particularly problematic. Today, the T-12 is used mostly in the role of ordinary artillery, using FRAG-HE shells. The T-12 was planned to be superseded by the 2A45 Sprut-B 125 mm smooth bore anti-tank gun. Description A revolutionary smoothbore gun On introduction, the T-12's gun differed from all existing artillery by employing a smoothbore barrel instead of a rifled one. The reasons to introduce a smoothbore barrel primarily relate to armor piercing shot. This kind of shot relies on mechanically penetrating armor. It is most effective if it has the form of a long narrow diameter rod fired at very high speed. In flight it can be stabilized by a rifled gun barrel having given it rotation when it was fired, but this becomes less effective if the projectile becomes longer.Zaloga 2009 11 The T-12 gun overcame the stabilization problem by applying fins to the projectile.Knyazkov 1983 26 This started the replacement of the armour-piercing discarding sabot (APDS) fired by rifled guns by the armour-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) shot fired by smoothbore guns.Zaloga 2009 11 right|thumb|T-12 rear view showing only the two recoil tubes. Another reason to use a smoothbore barrel for armor piercing shot, is that smoothbore guns allow for higher pressures, and thus higher projectile speeds.Dyčka 2017 101 The result is that the T-12 fired a conspicuously long APFSDS projectile. This BM2 shot (see picture) had a diameter of 38 mm on and used 8.75 kg on of propellant instead of less than 6 kg on for the existing Soviet tank gun. It was fired at a muzzle velocity of 1,540 m/s on as opposed to only 900 m/s on for the usual armor piercing shot. At 1,000 m on this improved armor penetration from 185 mm on to 230 mm on, enough to penetrate most NATO tanks of the period.Zaloga 2009 11 High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) shells do not rely on high speed to penetrate armor, but on the explosion of the projectile on impact. The problem of using a rifled gun to fire a HEAT shot was that the stabilizing spin degraded the penetrating power by as much as half. Combined with other challenges HEAT shots were not effective for tank guns by the mid-1950s.Zaloga 2009 6 The T-12 overcame most problems by firing a HEAT shot that was stabilized by pop-out fins. However, it was still not ideal as it was slow and therefore had to be fired in a higher arc. This was complicated by the Soviet scarcity of good rangefinders.Zaloga 2009 11 In 1958 Nikita Khrushchev saw the T-12 and was so enthusiastic about the gun, that he wanted it placed in the T55.Zaloga 2009 11 However, the long ammunition would not fit in the existing Soviet medium-tank turrets. Therefore, the 115 mm U-5TS gun of the T-62 was developed with a larger caliber, so it could use more propellant while not requiring the very long T-12 cartridges.Zaloga 2009 12 The T-12's breech is semi-automatic, meaning that it needs to be opened only before the first shot. After the first shot the breech opens by itself, so a new projectile can immediately be loaded.Dyčka 2017 101 Other charactertistics right|thumb|The mechanical S71-40 indirect aiming mechanism The T-12 used the carriage of the 85 mm anti-tank gun D-48. In fact the only difference between the T-12 and the D-48 was the barrel. Both can be told apart by the muzzle brake, which becomes wider towards the end of the D-48's barrel, but has the same width throughout for the T-12 and MT-12. The wheels of both D-48 and T-12 are secured by six bolts. The carriage of the T-12 did not allow it to be towed cross-country by fast tracked vehicles. It was therefore usually towed by trucks.Dyčka 2017 101 This limited the T-12's cross country movement to only 15 km/h on. The gun can be fitted with the LO-7 ski gear for travel across snow or swampy ground. This is a metal welded structure with wide runners. The wheels are rolled up to the runners and fastened with a coupling chain. The gun can fire directly from the skis.Knyazkov 1983 28 The principal difference between the upper part of the T-12 and that of the MT-12 is in the equilibrator that is used. That of the T-12 is hardly visible, whereas that of the MT-12 is a huge tube lying on top of the right rear part of the gun. Standing behind the gun, a barrel that has two short tubes on top of the gun barrel between the breech and the gun shield, is a T-12. If a third misaligned tube is present on the right side, the gun is an MT-12. The gun requires a crew of six: commander, driver of the towing vehicle, gun layer, loader, and two ammunition crewmen. Since the weapon is a smoothbore, all the ammunition is finned for accuracy during flight. The standard equipment of the T-12 includes multiple sights. The indirect aiming mechanism consists of the S71-40 mechanism with panoramic PG-1M sight. The OP4M-40U sight is used for direct fire. The APN-5-40 or APN-6-40 are used for direct fire by night. Ammunition Note: penetration numbers for RHA at 90 degrees. APFSDS right|thumb|BM-2 APFSDS projectile. 3BM-2 APFSDS-T Tungsten Round weight: 19.34 kg on Projectile weight: 5.65 kg on Muzzle velocity: 1575 m/s on Maximum range: 3000 m yd on Penetration: 230 mm at 500 m (9 in at 550 yd) 180 mm at 2,000 m (7 in at 2,200 yd) 140 mm at 3,000 m (5.5 in at 3,300 yd) 3BM23/3UBM10 APFSDS Round weight: 19.9 kg on Projectile weight: 4.55 kg on Muzzle velocity: 1548 m/s ft/s on Maximum range: 3000 m yd on Penetration: 225 mm at 1000 m (8.8 in at 1100 yd)https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/t-12.htm T-12 100-mm anti-tank gun MT-12 100-mm anti-tank gun 2A19 100-mm anti-tank gun 2A29 100-mm anti-tank gun 16 October 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150515220621/http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/t-12.htm 15 May 2015 live HEAT 3BK16M/3UBK8 Round weight: 23.1 kg on Projectile weight: 9.5 kg on Muzzle velocity: 975 m/s on Maximum range: 1000 m yd on Penetration: 400 mm in on HE-FRAG 3OF12/3OF35 Round weight: 28.9 kg on Projectile weight: 16.7 kg on Muzzle velocity: 700 m/s -1 on Maximum range (indirect): 8200 m yd -2 on Guided projectile 9K117 Kastet 3UBK10/3UBK10M 9M117 Bastion Beam riding laser guided projectile. Round weight: 24.5 kg on Projectile weight: 17.6 kg on Average speed: 300 m/s on Range: 100 - 5000 m yd on Penetration: 550 - 600 mm in on Operators thumb|400px|Map of T-12 operators in blue with former operators in red Algeria: 10International Institute for Strategic Studies International Institute for Strategic Studies 2020 The Military Balance 120 Routledge 257–504 978-0-367-46639-8340Nerguizian Aram Cordesman Anthony The North African Military Balance: Force Developments in the Maghreb 2009 44–46 Center for Strategic and International Studies Press Washington DC 978-089206-552-3 Bulgaria: 12692 Cambodia: 80SIPRI Trade Registers http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php Stockholm International Peace Research Institute 27 June 2011 14 April 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100414022558/http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php dead Georgia: 16Gribincea Mihai The Russian policy on military bases: Georgia and Moldova 2001 223 Editura Cogito Oradea 978-9738032200February 2021 Kazakhstan: 68190 Kyrgyzstan: 18192 Mali tom_nachtrab 1582021934673702913 On 22nd September, Mali celebrated its National Independece [sic] Day. Due to Corona, the usual military parades were scaled down in size and number. But the parade in Segou nevertheless contained several rarely seen gems of the FAMA’s inventory. @FAMa_DIRPA #FAMa #Mali Moldova: 37193 Russia196, 200 Syria: 20+ Transnistria Transnistria Turkmenistan: 60210 Ukraine: 500212 Uzbekistan: 36216 Vietnam Former operators ArmeniaInternational Institute for Strategic Studies International Institute for Strategic Studies 2001 NATO and non-NATO Europe The Military Balance 101 1 80 10.1080/04597220108460153 219623417 International Institute for Strategic Studies International Institute for Strategic Studies 2013 Chapter Four: Europe The Military Balance 113 1 117 10.1080/04597222.2013.756999 219627496 CubaInternational Institute for Strategic Studies International Institute for Strategic Studies 2006 Caribbean and Latin America The Military Balance 106 1 323 10.1080/04597220600782895 219623774 East Germany: 267 Egypt: 100 Ethiopia: 50http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php Trade Registers Armstrade.sipri.org 20 June 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20100414022558/http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php 14 April 2010 live HungaryInternational Institute for Strategic Studies International Institute for Strategic Studies 2004 NATO Europe The Military Balance 104 1 55 10.1080/725292366 219627820 Iraq 1991: 100 Flag of the People's Republic of Kampuchea.svg People's Republic of Kampuchea: 15 Mongolia 1945: 25 Somalia: 25 South Yemen: 72 Soviet UnionLectures and General Exercises of the General Staff Academy of the Armed Forces of the USSR https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/DOC_0001197503.pdf Langley Central Intelligence Agency 28 August 1977 20 May 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170122230832/https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/DOC_0001197503.pdf 22 January 2017 Yugoslavia: 350 Combat history Russo-Ukrainian War During the War in Donbas (2014–2022), the Ukrainian army had 500 anti tank guns of the types T-12, MT-12 and MT-12R.Dyčka 2017 102 Reports about the gun often do not properly discern T-12 from MT-12. During the war in Donbas, the use of the MT-12 was documented on many pictures. The use of the T-12 is less certain.July 2024 Ukrainian forces in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, were also observed using the MT-12.Ukraine's Citizen-Soldiers Are Shooting 60-Year-Old Artillery At Russian Tanks https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/05/01/ukraines-citizen-soldiers-are-shooting-60-year-old-guns-at-russian-tanks/?sh=7e842d7b3431 Forbes 1 May 2022 1 May 2022 The old T-12 was not sighted that often. However, in January 2023, the BBC published an article and video showing the use of a T-12 by Ukrainian forces near Bakhmut.https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64153581 Ukraine war: Defying Russian onslaught in city 'at the end of the world' 2023-01-06 On the Russian side, the T-12 seems not to have been used before 2023. In early 2023 a T-12 was first sighted towed by a truck in Crimea in early 2023, but that does not indicate actual combat use. During the May 2023 Belgorod Oblast attack it was confirmed on the front line, because a piece was destroyed together with some trucks.Ukraine Weapons Tracker 23 May 2023 Second Nagorno-Karabakh War During the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War (2020), the T-12 was used on the Armenian side.Mitzer Dan 2020 Other conflicts Incomplete, and still requiring thorough check whether T-12 or MT-12 was used: Soviet–Afghan WarArmor of the Afghanistan War Steven Zaloga Wojciech Luczak Barry Beldam Concord Publications Armor 2009 1992 978-9623619097 67 Iran–Iraq War Persian Gulf War War of Dagestan Russo-Georgian WarStéphane Mantoux Jours de tonnerre : L'Armée russe au combat en Ossétie du Sud et en Géorgie Days of thunder: The Russian Army in combat in South Ossetia and Georgia Batailles et Blindés fr December 2012 Caraktère 1765-0828 52 68–82 Syrian civil war Variants MT-LB-12 (Ukraine) thumb|Ukraine's first self propelled T-12 In August 2022, videos of a Ukrainian T-12 mounted on top of an MT-LB began to circulate online. This first videohttps://armourersbench.com/2022/08/21/ukraines-homemade-tank-destroyer/ Ukraine's Homemade Tank Destroyer 2022-11-15 showed a combination which had a hydraulic stabilization mechanism behind its tracks. The conversion had been done by local infantrymen. It was soon followed by a second combination which did not have a hydraulic stabilization mechanism behind its tracks.July 2024 While the combinations were widely reported as mounting an MT-12, the publications consistently showed characteristics of a T-12 being mounted. In the video of the first combination, the gun itself clearly did not have the equilibrator which is unique to the MT-12. Pictures of the second combination also did not have an equilibrator, and the reporting of its manufacture even showed a picture of a complete towed T-12 gun, recognizable by its 6-bolted wheels.https://armourersbench.com/2022/10/09/ukraines-new-improved-home-made-self-propelled-gun/ Ukraine's New & Improved Home Made Self-Propelled Gun 2022-11-12 It is nevertheless quite possible that Ukraine might one day mount an MT-12 on the MT-LB chassis. The combination has been dubbed as MT-LB-12. Romania A407 - This artillery system was designed by Arsenal-Resita and is very similar to the MT-12. It can fire the same range of ammunition as the T-54/55 tank and has a maximum range of 2200 m (HEAT) or 4,000 m on (APC-T). Subversions are the A407M1 and the A407M2. In Romanian Army service, the A407 is known as the 100 mm anti-tank gun M1977 (ro Tun antitanc calibrul 100-mm Model 1977) and is normally towed by the DAC 887R truck.Jane's Armour and Artillery 2003-2004 9780710625397 Janes Information Services It can also be towed with the DAC 665T truck. The Model 2002 is an improved version, fitted with the automatic fire control system TAT-100.http://www.arsenal.ro/tun100.html Tun anti-tanc modernizat cal. 100 mm md. 2002 echipat cu sistem de conducere a focului TAT-100 Tun modernized anti-tank cal. 100 mm md. 2002 equipped with TAT-100 fire control system 27 August 2011 Arsenal Resita ro People's Republic of China Type 73 - This appears to be a copy of the Soviet T-12. Type 86 - This is a 100mm smoothbore anti-tank gun that has some similarities with the 85mm Type 56 (D-44). It fires ammunition of the fixed type, including the Type 73 HE, Type 73 HEAT, Type 73 APFSDS and Type 86 APFSDS to a maximum range of 1,800 m on. See also List of anti-tank guns List of military equipment of Croatia List of artillery of the Soviet Union and Russia References Citations Bibliography Dyčka Lukáš 2017 Towed anti-tank guns, renaissance of almost forgotten weapons in Ukrainian conflict University of Defence, Brno, Czech Republic https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318729848 Foss Christopher F. 1976 Artillery of the World Scribner Book Company Hull Andrew W. Markov David R. Zaloga Steven J. 1999 Soviet/Russian Armor and Artillery Design Practices 1945 to Present Darlington Productions 1-892848-01-5 https://books.google.com/books?id=XeM72t6oOZIC Knyazkov V. 1983 Soviet Military review 100 mm anti-tank gun MT-12 Soviet Military Review, Moscow https://books.google.com/books?id=7GrfAAAAMAAJ Mitzer Stijn Dan 2020 The Fight For Nagorno-Karabakh: Documenting Losses On The Sides Of Armenia And Azerbaijan Oryx https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2020/09/the-fight-for-nagorno-karabakh.html Широкорад А.Б. 1997 ru Техника и вооружение вчера, сегодня, завтра... 10 Гладкоствольные противотанковые пушки («Спрут» и «Рапира») Smoothbore anti-tank guns, Rapira and Octopus РОО «Техинформ», Москва Zaloga Steven J. 2009 T-62 Main Battle Tank 1965–2005 Osprey publishing, Oxford 9781849080880 https://books.google.com/books?id=njS1CwAAQBAJ Ukraine Weapons Tracker 23 May 2023 Two Russian Ural-4320 cargo trucks and a T-12 anti-tank gun was destroyed in Glotovo https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1661126711256203264 2023-05-25 Twitter Ukraine Weapons Tracker 23 May 2023 USA Today article - USATODAY.com - 7th Cavalry inflicts heavy casualties in running battle 100 mm Ammunition 100 mm Ammunition 100 mm Ammunition MT-12 Jane's Armour and Artillery 2005-2006 Комплекс управляемого танкового вооружения 9К116-1 Бастион | Ракетная техника External links T-12 walkaround on DishModels.ru T-12 100-mm anti-tank gun MT-12 100-mm anti-tank gun 2A19 100-mm anti-tank gun Profile https://web.archive.org/web/20141117143937/http://www.history.army.mil/books/www/280c.htm 17 November 2014 part of The Wirlwind War https://web.archive.org/web/20141019112421/http://www.history.army.mil/books/www/WWINDX.HTM 19 October 2014 a publication of the United States Army Center of Military History Catalog. Tank rounds Category:100 mm artillery Category:Anti-tank guns of the Soviet Union Category:Cold War artillery of the Soviet Union Category:Anti-tank guns of the Cold War Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1960s