85 mm anti-tank gun D-48
# 85 mm anti-tank gun D-48

The 85-mm antitank gun D-48 (Russian: 85-мм противотанковая пушка Д-48) was a Soviet 85-mm calibre anti-tank gun used after World War II. It was designed as the replacement for the 100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3). Distinguishing features of the D-48 include a very long barrel and a pepper-pot muzzle brake. The D-48 was itself replaced in the 1960s by the T-12 antitank gun.

## Overview

The gun was designed by the F. F. Petrov Design Bureau on the basis of the D-44 85-mm divisional gun and production of the D-48 began in 1953 at the No. 75 factory in Yurga. The D-48 used the breechblock from the BS-3 100-mm field gun in order to achieve a rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute at maximum cadence. The gun can transition from march to combat order in about two minutes.

The D-48N was a version with an APN 2-77 or 3-77 infrared imaging device fitted for night combat. A licensed version of the D-48 was produced in China as the Type 60.

The gun fires a high velocity armor-piercing-capped-ballistic-cap tracer (APCBC-T) BR-372 Projectile at 1040 meters per second and can penetrate 185mm of armor at a range of 1000 meters at an angle of obliquity of 90 degrees. The 3BK-7 high explosive antitank (HEAT) projectile can penetrate 192mm of armor at an angle of obliquity of 60 degrees. The effective range of armor-piercing shells for the D-48 is 1,230 meters (HVAP-T) or 940 meters (HEAT). Additionally, the D-48 antitank gun is capable of firing a 9.66 kilogram OF-372 high explosive projectile to a direct fire range of 1,200 meters or an indirect fire range of 18.97 kilometers. The Ammunition for the D-48 was developed by necking down 100-mm ammunition in order to achieve higher muzzle velocities.

The gun is towed by a URAL-375D truck or an AT-P tractor with a maximum towing speed over asphalt roadway of about 60 km/h. The tires on the D-48 are those of the ZIS-5 truck.

Designs with auxiliary power units were also investigated but never developed beyond prototype stage.

Performance of D-48 and comparable weapons :

| Effectiveness against rolled homogeneous armor |||
| - | - | - |
| Weapon | Muzzle Velocity, meters per second | Penetration in mm |
| 85 mm D-48 (firing BR-372 APCBC) | 1040 | 195 (at 90°, range 1000 meters) |
| 8.8 cm PaK 43 (firing PzGr 40/43 APCR) | 1200 | 228 (at 90°, range 1000 meters) |
| 90 mm M3 (firing M304 APCR) | 1021 | 173 (at 30°, range 914 meters) |
| These data are not directly comparable as various measurement methods are used. They are, however, illustrative of the relative performance of the weapons. |||

## Use by other nations

The D-48 has been exported to Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Congo, India, Iraq, North Korea, Mongolia, Mozambique, Romania, Somalia, Sudan, and Vietnam.

## Citations

* ↑ Foss, Christopher (1977). Jane's pocket book of towed artillery. New York: Collier. p. 45. ISBN 0020806000. OCLC 911907988.
* ↑ "Post-war anti-tank artillery. 85-mm D-48 TAP — Encyclopedia of safety".
* 1 2 "Page in Russian on the D-48". Archived from the original on 2008-09-28. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
* ↑ Janes, p. 525.
* 1 2 Janes, p. 526.
