The 2A46 (also called D-81TM) is a 125 mm/L48 smoothbore cannon of Soviet origin used in several main battle tanks. It was designed by OKB-9 (Artillery Plant No. 9) in Yekaterinburg.
Description
It was developed by the Spetstekhnika Design Bureau in Ekaterinburg in the 1960s originally for the T-64 tank. They were subsequently manufactured at Artillery Plant No. 9 in Ekaterinburg and Motovilikha in Perm. Other variations include 2A46M, 2A46M-1, 2A46M-2, 2A46M-4, 2A46M-5, and Ukrainian KBA-3 and Chinese ZPT-98.
The 2A46 can fire armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS), high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and high-explosive fragmentation (HEF) projectiles. The ammunition for the 2A46 gun is in two pieces: the projectile is loaded first, followed by a separate propellant charge.
The early versions of the 2A46 suffered from a relatively short barrel life, but this was rectified on the 2A46M-1 version. Depending on the version it offers or from the 2A46M-1 Pmax chamber pressure.
The Ukrainian KBA-3 guns are based on the 2A46 gun. In addition, the Chinese ZPT-98 is based on 2A46M imported from Russia's T-72 or T-80.
Projectiles
Variants
Soviet Union and Russia
2A46-1 / DT-81TM (1970): Used on T-64A and T-72A. 2A46-2 / DT-81K (1976): Used on T-64B and T-80B. 2A46M (1981): Used on T-72AV and T-72B. 2A46M-1 (1981): Used on T-64BV, T-72B, T-80BV and T-80U. 2A46M-2 (1992): Used on T-72S and T-90. 2A46M-4: Used on Object 640. 2A82-1M: Used on T-14 Armata.
Source:
China
ZPT98: Used on ZTZ96 and ZTZ99.
Ukraine
KBA-3: Used on T-84.
Tanks using the 2A46
The 2A46 has been used in numerous tanks, almost exclusively Soviet/Russian designs or foreign derivatives: Bangladesh Type 59G(BD) Durjoy
Type 96B
Type 99
M-95 Degman
M-84D
T-80U
T-80UK
T-72M4CZ
T-72M1
T-72SIM1
Zulfiqar
Karrar
Iraq
Asad Babil tank
T-80U
T-80UK
Chonma-ho V (Ma) Pokpung-Ho II & III
PT-91M Pendekar
PT-91 Twardy
Socialist Republic of Romania
TR-125
T-90
T-80
T-72
T-67 (125mm gun-armed T-62) T-64 (after T-64A variant) T-55M6 Obyekt 640/Black Eagle
M-84AS
T-84
VT-4
T-84
T-64
T-80
T-72
T-90S
T-90SK
M-84
See also
125 mm smoothbore ammunition
2A45 Sprut - Soviet towed 125 mm anti-tank gun
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
L11A5 120 mm rifled gun: British rifled equivalent, developed by Royal Armament Research and Development Established (RARDE) in 1957. Rheinmetall 120 mm gun: German equivalent, developed by Rheinmetall in 1974. CN120-25 120 mm gun: French equivalent, developed by Établissement d'Études et de Fabrication d'Armements de Bourges (EFAB) in 1979. EXP-28M1 120 mm rifled tank gun: Experimental British weapon of the late 1970s/early 1980s. Was to have equipped the MBT-80. CN120-26 120 mm gun: French equivalent, developed by EFAB in 1980s. IMI 120 mm gun: Israeli equivalent, developed by Israeli Military Industries in 1988. OTO Breda 120 mm gun: Italian equivalent, developed by OTO Melara in 1988. L30A1 120 mm rifled gun: British rifled equivalent, developed by ROF Nottingham in 1989. JSW 120 mm gun: Japanese equivalent, developed by Japan Steel Works in 2008. CN08 120 mm gun: South Korean equivalent, developed by Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and WIA in 2008. 2A82-1M 125 mm gun: New Russian 125-mm equivalent, developed by Uralvagonzavod in 2014. MKE 120 mm tank gun: Turkish equivalent, developed by Otokar and Hyundai WIA in 2016.