D-56T
| D-56T tank gun | |
|---|---|
 D-56T gun on a PT-76 light tank | |
| Type | rifled antitank gun |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1952–present |
| Wars | see PT-76#Combat service |
| Production history | |
| Designer | N. Shashmurin and Zh.Y. Kotin |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 42 calibers (3.2 metres) |
| Calibre | 76.2 mm (3 in) |
| Carriage | vehicle mount |
| Rate of fire | 6-8 rounds per minute |
| Maximum firing range | 1,500 metres (1,640 yards) |
The 76.2 mm D-56T series rifled tank gun is the tank gun used on the PT-76, which is the only known armoured vehicle to carry it.
Description
The D-56T is an anti-tank gun of 76.2mm calibre. It can fire five types of rounds, using a manual loader system, it has an effective fire rate of six to eight rounds per minute. It has a max effective range of approximately 1500 meters. This gun is 42 calibers long.
A typical combat ammunition load consists of 24 x OF-350 Frag-HE, 4 x sub-caliber AP-T, 4 x AP-T and 8 x BK-350M HEAT rounds.
The gun is usually mounted in an oval dish-type circular truncated cone turret with flat sloping sides which is mounted over the second, third, and fourth pair of road wheels. All PT-76s have a fume extractor for the main gun at the rear of the turret. Some were fitted with a multi-slotted muzzle brake. Most PT-76s typically feature this gun with a double-baffle muzzle brake, except for the PT-76B, which is typically fitted with the D-56T gun with a two-plane gun stabiliser, a double-baffle muzzle brake and a bore evacuator towards the muzzle.
Ammunition
The D-56T usually saw itself firing five types of anti-tank rounds. Most rounds that were used on the D-56T were HE rounds, with usually a ready combat load having 24 pieces of OF-350 High Explosive Fragmentation ammunition, and 16 other pieces, with three other types of rounds. Common ammunition types were the OF-350 Frag-HE, BM-354P HVAP-T and the BK-354M HEAT-FS.
- BK-354M High Explosive Anti Tank, Fin Stabilised
- Maximum aimed range: 1,000 m
- Maximum effective range: 650 in the day, 600 at night
- Penetration: 200mm at all distances
- OF-350 Fragmentation, High Explosive
- Maximum aimed range: 4,000 m
- Maximum effective range: 600 at night
- BM-354P High-Velocity, Armor-Piercing Tracer
- Maximum aimed range: 1,060 m
- Maximum effective range: 650 in the day, 600 at night
- Penetration: 127 mm point-blank, 50 mm at 1,000 metres
See also
References
- "PT-76". fas.org. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
| 76 mm | |
|---|---|
| 115 mm | |
| 125 mm | |
Background: Tank gun, List of tank guns | |
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