152 mm gun 2A36

2A36 Giatsint-B

152-mm gun 2A36 «Giatsint-B» in Saint-Petersburg Artillery museum
Type Field gun
Place of origin Soviet Union
Service history
In service 1975 – present
Used by Users
Production history
Designed 1968 – 1975
Produced 1975 – 1989
Specifications
Weight 9,760 kg (21,520 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

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 firing range (OFS): 30.5 km (19mi)
(OFARS) 40 km (25mi)

The 2A36 Giatsint-B is a Soviet/Russian towed 152 mm field gun which entered service in 1975. 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.

Design

The 2A36 is fitted with a semi-automatic breech block, a hydro-pneumatic battery, which uses the energy from the recoil, and 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 barrel is 152 mm calibre, and is rifled. The length of the barrel (including breech ring) is 8,197 mm (54 calibers). The carriage is forked and suspended.

Modernization

Currently operational 2A36s have been modernized and are equipped with:

Ammunition

The gun uses separate-loading cased charges.

Dimensions

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 diameter is 1.08 m, and the width of the wheel is 300 mm. Normal tire pressure is 470kPa.

Design history

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 from the beginning - the towed version, 2A36 Giatsint-B, and the self-propelled variant, 2A37 or 2S5 Giatsint-S.

The guns were field tested in 1971-1972, and deliveries to the Soviet Army began in 1975. Even today, the 2A36 represents the highest standards of modern artillery. It is reliable and mobile, and has great firepower.

Unit deployment

The guns are usually deployed in batteries of six to eight guns; promotional material claims that a battery can place more than 1 tonne of projectiles on a target in one minute. In Russian service, the gun is usually towed by a KrAZ-260 9 tonne 6x6 truck or by an artillery tractor, such as the AT-T, ATS-59, AT-S, or MT-T. 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.

Users

References

  1. Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, 2007-06-21

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2A36 152 mm gun.