130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46)

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M-46
The M-46 in Finnish Army service as the 130 K 54
Type	field gun
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Specifications
Weight	7.7 t
Length	11.73 m
Width	2.45 m
Crew	8
Caliber	130 mm
Breech	Horizontal sliding wedge
Carriage	M-46
Elevation	-2.5° to 45°
Traverse	50°
Rate of fire	6 (normal) 8 (burst) 5 (sustained)
Muzzle velocity	930 m/s
Maximum range	27.5 km (unassisted) 38 km (assisted)

The 130 mm towed field gun M1954, also known as the M-46 is a manually loaded, towed 130 mm artillery piece, manufactured in the Soviet in the 1950s. It was first observed by the west in 1954 and was known as the M1954. There is also a Chinese copy, called Type 59-1.

The caliber length of the gun is 52, which enables the gun to fire long-range projectiles. The gun fires case-type, variable-charge, separate-loading ammunition and it is equipped with night sights for direct fire. When in travel position, the gun is mounted on a two-wheeled split trail carriage.

M-46 in an Israeli museum. Note that the carriage is fitted with an extra pair of wheels.

The M-46 is in operation in at least 25 countries and has been license manufactured in China as the Type 59-1. It has been replaced in Soviet/Russian inventory by the 2A36 Giatsint-B and the self-propelled 2S5 Giatsint-S.

The Soviet Union sold 550 guns to India, which India tried to replace with Bofors FH-77B howitzers. This resulted in the Bofors scandal.

Several companies, like Soltam and RDM Technology BV have presented upgrade packages for the gun. These include for instance a barrel upgrade to 155 mm with a length caliber of 45.

[edit] Ammunition

• Frag-HE, OF-43 - range 27,500 meters
• Frag-HE, OF-44 - range 22,500 meters
• Frag-HE, ERFB-BB - Extended Range Full Bore - Base Bleed, range 38,000 meters
• APC-T - range 1,140 meters
• Smoke
• Chemical
• Illumination

[edit] Wars

• 2003 invasion of Iraq
• Yugoslav wars
• Iran-Iraq War
• Gulf War
• Soviet war in Afghanistan
• Sino-Vietnamese War
• Yom Kippur War
• Vietnam War
• Cambodian Civil War
• Sino-Soviet border conflict
• Six-Day War
• South African Border War
• Angolan Civil War
• Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
• Sino-Indian War
• Sri Lankan civil war

[edit] Operators

Unless stated figures are sourced from Jane's Armour and Artillery ^[1]

•  Albania - 100 Type 59-1
•  Algeria - 10
•  Angola
•  Lebanon - 25
•  Bangladesh - 40 Type 59-1
•  Bosnia and Herzegovina
•  Bulgaria - 72
•  Cambodia - Type 59-1
•  Cameroon - 12 Type 59-1
•  Côte d'Ivoire
•  Croatia
•  Cuba
•  Democratic Republic of the Congo - 8 Type 59-1
•  Egypt - 420 locally produced
•  Guyana - 6
•  India - 550 units Some are Catapult self propelled guns
•  Iran - 1,100 units M-46 and Type 59-1
•  Libya - 330
•  Laos - 10
•  Montenegro
•  Mongolia - Type 59-1
•  Morocco - 18
•  Mozambique - 20
•  Nigeria - 7
•  Oman - 12 M-46 and 12 Type 59-1
•  North Korea - some are M-1975 self propelled guns
•  Pakistan - 200 Type 59-1
•  People's Republic of China - Type 59-1
•  Peru - 30
•  Republic of the Congo - 5
•  Serbia - 180
•  Sri Lanka - 12 Type 59-1
•  Sudan
•  Syria - 800 M-46 and Type 59-1
•  Tanzania - 30
•  Thailand - 15 Type 59-1
•  Vietnam
•  Yemen - 70
•  Zambia - 30

[edit] Former Operators

•  Afghanistan - Status unknown
•  Czechoslovakia - Phased out in early 90s
•  Ethiopia - Status unknown
•  Finland - Army: 72 units, Navy: 72 units, known as 130 K 54. Now being phased out of service. The gun was used for coastal defence
•  Iraq - Status unknown of its M-46 and Type 59-1
•  Israel - 100 war spoils
•  Russia - reserve
•  Somalia - Status unknown
•  United Arab Emirates - Reserve
•  Soviet Union - Passed on to successor states
•  Yugoslavia - passed on to successor states

[edit] External links

• M-46
• TYPE 59 130MM TOWED GUN

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

M-46 130 mm gun

[edit] References