| 2A36 Giatsint-B | |
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152-mm gun 2A36 «Giatsint-B» in Saint-Petersburg Artillery museum |
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| Type | Close support gun |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1976 |
| Used by | Users |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 9,760 kg (21,500 lb) |
| Length | Transport: 12.92 m (42 ft 5 in) Combat: 12.30 m (40 ft 4 in) |
| Barrel length | 54 calibres |
| Width | 2.34 m (7 ft 8 in) |
| Height | Transport: 2.76 m (9 ft 1 in) |
| Crew | 8 |
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| Caliber | 152.4 mm (6 in) |
| Carriage | Split trail, sole plate, auxiliary power unit and hydraulics |
| Elevation | -2° to +57° |
| Traverse | -25° to +25° |
| Rate of fire | 6 rounds per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 560-945 m/s (1,837-3,100 ft/s) |
| Effective range | (OFS): 28.5 km (17 mi) (OFARS) 33.5 km (21 mi) |
The 2A36 Giatsint-B is a Soviet/Russian towed 152 mm gun which entered service in 1976. The 2A36 is designed to suppress and destroy enemy manpower and equipment. It is also suitable for counter-battery fire. The gun can be used in various weather conditions and has been tested in temperatures ranging from −50 °C to 50 °C. The gun is in use in Russia, a number of CIS countries, Finland and Iraq. It was also used by the Lebanese army to fire into the heavily fortified Nahr el-Bared refugee camp during the conflict there.[1] Lebanon possibly acquired some in a major arms shipment from Iraq shortly before the end of the Lebanese Civil War.
Contents |
The 2A36 is fitted with a semi-automatic breech block, a hydro-pneumatic battery, which uses the energy from the recoil, a chain-driven rammer for the projectile and the cased propellant charge. The carriage is raised with hydraulic power. It is also equipped with a two-speed mechanism for elevation.
The gun is a rifled 152 mm calibre. The length of the barrel (including breech ring) is 8,197 mm (54 calibers). The carriage is forked and suspended.
Currently operational 2A36's have been modernized and are equipped with:
The gun uses separate-loading cased charges. - VOF39 with OF-29 fragmentation shell. This shell weighs 46 kg and contains 6.73 kg of Hexal (A-IX-2). - ZVOF86 with the OF-59 rocket-assisted projectile, which can destroy targets at ranges up to 30-33 km. - nuclear ammunition of the 0.1-0.2 kiloton yield range. - cargo shell 30-13 able to carry dumb and smart sub munitions, active and passive radio jamming. - anti-tank and smoke shells.
The gun is 12.92 m long in transport configuration and 12.30 m long in firing configuration.
The height is 2.76 m (in transport configuration) and the under carriage is 2.34 m wide. The wheel diameters are 1.08 m, and the width of the wheel is 300 mm, normal tire pressure is 470kPa.
In Russia, the gun is usually towed by the KrAZ-4556 (6x6) truck or artillery tractors such as the AT-T, ATS, ATS-59, AT-S, MT-T.
The Perm Automobile Factory SKV started to develop a new 152 mm gun in November 1968, which was to have an extended range of fire. Two variants were planned already from the beginning - the towed version, 2A36 Giatsint-B, and its self-propelled variant is called 2A37 or 2S5 Giatsint-S.
The guns were field tested between 1971-1972, and deliveries to the Soviet Army began in 1976. Even today, the 2A36 represents the highest standards of modern artillery. It is reliable and mobile, it has great firepower, and it can be transported to any place by railroads, by waterways, and by air transport and it is capable of fulfilling all difficult wartime requirements.
The guns are usually deployed in batteries of six to eight guns; promotional marterial claims that a battery can place more than 1 tonne of projectiles on a target in one minute. The 2A36 is normally towed by a KrAZ-260 9 tonne 6x6 truck or vehicle of similar capacity, including tracked prime movers. When towed the carriage is supported by a four wheel (two wheels on each side) walking beam suspension, permitting the gun to be towed over rough terrain at speeds up to 30 km/h (18.6 mp/h). In firing position the trail legs are split and the gun rests on a circular jack under the forward part of the carriage. This arrangement allows for gun traverse of 25 degrees to the left and right. Several types of trail spades are available to suit the season, the summer spades are larger to suit softer ground.