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130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46)

January 07, 2023

The 130 mm towed field gun M-46 (Russian: 130-мм пушка M-46) is a manually loaded, towed 130 mm artillery piece, manufactured in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. It was first observed by the west in 1954.

M-46 or KS-30
M-46 130 mm field gun
TypeTowed field gun
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
WarsVietnam War[1]
South African Border War
Six-Day War[2]
Yom Kippur War
Angolan Civil War
Uganda–Tanzania War
Iran–Iraq War
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
Yugoslav Wars
Syrian Civil War
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Tigray war
Israeli–Lebanese conflict
2022 Russian Invasion Of Ukraine[3]
Production history
Designed1946–1950
ManufacturerMOTZ
Produced1951–1971
Specifications
Mass7,700 kg (17,000 lb)
Length11.73 m (38 ft 6 in)
Barrel lengthBore: 7.15 m (23 ft 5 in) L/55
Width2.45 m (8 ft)
Height2.55 m (8 ft 4 in)
Crew8
Shell130 x 845 mm R [4]
(R/184.6mm)
separate-loading charge and projectile
Caliber130 mm (5.1 in)
BreechHorizontal sliding-wedge
Recoilhydro-pneumatic
CarriageSplit-trail
Elevation−2.5° to 45°
Traverse50°
Rate of fire6 rpm (normal)
8 rpm (burst)
5 rpm (sustained)
Muzzle velocity930 m/s (3,051 ft/s)
Maximum firing range27 km (17 mi) (unassisted)
40 km (25 mi) (assisted)

For many years, the M-46 was one of the longest range artillery pieces around, with a range of more than 27 km (17 mi) (unassisted) and 40 km (25 mi) (assisted).

Design history

The order was given in April 1946 to design a "duplex" artillery pice to replace the obsolete 122 mm gun M1931/37 (A-19), 152 mm howitzer-gun M1937 (ML-20) and other World War II era field guns, such as 122 mm Model 1931, 152 mm Model 1910/30, 152 mm Model 1935 (BR-2). The new pieces, designed by the factory No 172 (MOTZ), shared the same carriage and were given the designators M-46 (130 mm) and M-47 (152 mm). The respective GRAU designators are 52-P-482 and 52-P-547.[citation needed] The development phase was finished in 1950 and one year later series production started. Many M-46s were exported.

A second "duplex" artillery system was subsequently designed by FF Petrov's design bureau at Artillery Factory No 9. This comprised a 122 mm Gun and a 152 mm Howitzer. The 122 mm Gun D-74 was a competitor to the M-46; and while many were produced, the M-46 became the only long range Gun in Soviet service until new 152 mm Guns were made in the 1970s.

Description

 
The Finnish Defence Forces using 130 mm Gun M-46 during a direct fire mission in a live fire exercise in 2010.

The M-46 was developed from the M-36 130 mm naval gun used on ships and for coast defence. It is a true gun, being unable to fire much above 45° and having a long barrel and a single propelling charge. In contrast, most Western field guns of this period had a dual high and low angle fire capability, a gun-howitzer.

It has a 39 calibre barrel with a tied jaw horizontal sliding-block breech and 'pepperpot' muzzle brake. The latter is not notably efficient, but subjective reports suggest that it is quite effective in reducing muzzle flash. The hydro-pneumatic recoil system comprises a buffer below the barrel and a recuperator above the barrel. The long barrel enables a substantial propelling charge by providing more length in which to achieve 'all-burnt' and hence projectile acceleration space and thus achieve its 930 m/s muzzle velocity.

The barrel is mounted on a split-trail carriage, with deep box section trails and foam filled road wheels on the ground when firing and 50° of top traverse. The small shield protects little more than the sights, possible including from the effects of muzzle blast, and some protection from machine gun fire in anti-tank engagements. The gun has long and robust trails to provide stability when firing, a large detachable spade is fitted to the end of each when the gun is brought into action.

Non-reciprocating sights are standard Soviet pattern, designed for one-man laying. Included are a direct fire anti-tank telescope, a panoramic periscopic indirect-fire sight (a dial sight) in a reciprocating mounting, an angle of sight scale, and a range drum engraved with the range (distance) scale, coupled to a mounted elevation levelling bubble. The range drum enables the standard Soviet technique of semi-direct fire when the piece is laid visually on the target and the range set on the range drum. An APN-3 was later provided for direct fire at night in place of the day telescope.

For travel, the gun is towed via a two-wheeled limber fitted to the end of the closed trails, with the spades removed and carried on each trail. Simple jacks on the trails just behind the main wheels are used to lift and support the closed trails so that the limber can be connected. The barrel and recuperator are pulled back between the closed trails and locked in a travelling position. There is a large bicycle chain arrangement on the right trail for this, and a compressed air cylinder, charged by the gun firing, is used to bring the barrel forward when the gun is brought back into action. It takes about four minutes to bring the gun into action, the normal detachment is eight strong.

Propelling charges are in metal cartridge cases and loaded separately from the projectile. Projectiles originally included HE fragmentation, Armour Piercing solid shot, smoke, illuminating and chemical. HE shells weigh ~33 kg (73 lb). Illuminating shells have a substantially lower muzzle velocity. APHE and extended range shells were introduced later. Maximum rate of fire is probably 6-7 rounds/minute, and about 70 rounds/hour. The standard Soviet unit of fire was 80 rounds.[5][6][7]

Operational history

 
Israeli M-46s open fire on Syrian positions during the Yom Kippur War.

The M-46 was first seen openly at the 1954 May Day Parade in Moscow. It initially replaced the 100 mm BS-3 field and anti-tank gun. However, its long range made it well suited for counter-battery actions. There are reports of poor fragmentation. Its Soviet use with an integrated fire-control system including SNAR-2 radars has also been reported.[citation needed] In Soviet service, M-46 battalions were in Army and Front artillery brigades.

It is or has been in service with at least 25 countries and has been license manufactured in China as the Type 59. It was replaced in Soviet/Russian inventory by the 2A36 Giatsint-B and the self-propelled 2S5 Giatsint-S. Several companies, like Soltam and RDM Technology BV, have presented upgrade packages for the gun. These include, for instance, an upgrade to a 45 caliber 155 mm gun. Its long range made it especially useful in the Vietnam War.[8]

The M-46 saw extensive combat service with the People's Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) during the Angolan Civil War and South African Border War.[9] From the mid to late 1970s Angolan M-46s were deployed with some success in the counter-battery role against South African artillery units, which possessed comparatively short-ranged BL 5.5-inch Medium Guns.[10] South Africa later acquired six M-46s from Israel for evaluation purposes; this likely influenced its development of the G5 howitzer, which was adopted to counter the range and effectiveness of the FAPLA field guns.[11] Cuba also deployed M-46 batteries of its own in support of FAPLA operations during its lengthy military intervention in Angola.[12] Cuban and FAPLA M-46s were used most notably during the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale, where individual guns were deployed in ones or twos rather than concentrated in single positions to reduce the threat posed by counter-battery fire from South African G5s.[13] Cuban tacticians were able to repeatedly stall a South African mechanized and armored offensive by using minefields to channel the attackers into bottlenecks where the M-46s could concentrate their fire.[13]

Tanzania People's Defence Force fielded some M-46 guns during Uganda–Tanzania War in 1978–1979.[14]

A version of this gun, possibly the Chinese-manufactured Type 59-1, is suspected to have been used by North Korea for shelling the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong in the Yellow Sea on 23 November 2010.

Variants

Soviet Union

  • M-47 – This is a 152 mm field gun (Russian: 152-мм пушка M-47 обр. 1953 г.) that was developed alongside the M-46. The M-47 had a range of 20,470 m and was far less successful than its 130 mm counterpart. Only a small number was built between 1954 and 1957. Externally, the M-46 and M-47 are virtually identical, except for the calibre.

China

 
Iraqi Type 59-1
  • Type 59 – This is a licensed version of the M-46.[15]
  • Type 59-1 – This is a combination of the 130 mm ordnance of the Type 59 with the carriage of the Type 60 (D-74 copy). The result is a gun with the same range as the M-46, but with a much lower weight of 6.3 t. The M59-1M is the Egyptian licence version. For the export market, a version with APU and redesigned carriage was developed. Also for the export market, a self-propelled variant, based on the Type 83 SPH was designed.[16]
  • Type GM-45 – For the export market, NORINCO (China North Industries Corporation) developed this upgrade package where the original barrel of the Type 59 is replaced by the 155/45 mm ordnance of the WA 021. The Type GM-45 has a maximum range of 39 km when ERFB-BB ammunition is used.[15]

Cuba

  • The Cuban army operates two different, locally designed self-propelled versions of the M-46. One is based on the tracked chassis of the T-34-85 tank, while the other is based on a heavily modified KrAZ 6x6 truck. These and other modifications were shown for the first time during the 2006 military parade.[citation needed]

Egypt

India

  • The Indian Army has a total of around 1000 of the 130 mm towed guns that were acquired from the former Soviet Union beginning in 1968.[18]
  • Upgunned Soltam 155 mm guns – A total of 180 of the 130 mm guns held by Indian Army were upgunned to 155 calibre by the Israeli firm Soltam in 2008.[18]
  • IOB Sharang 155 mm/45 calibre guns – Another 155 mm upgrade (45 Calibre) upgrade of the 300 M-46 towed guns, this one designed by Ordnance Factory Board (OFB). The upgraded M-46 has a range of 39 km.[19] India's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded an INR2 billion (US$27.2 million) contract on 25 October 2018 to the state-owned Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) to upgrade 300 of the Indian Army's (IA's) Soviet-era 130 mm/52 calibre M-46 field guns to 155 mm/45 calibre in a bid to augment its firepower.[20]

Israel

  • M-46S – This is an upgrade of an existing M-46 or Type 59, carried out by Soltam Systems Ltd. The original barrel is replaced by a new model of 155/45mm (western ammunition) for a range of 25.8 (HE) to 39 km (ERFB-BB). A 39-calibre barrel is optional. In March 2000, Soltam won a contract worth $47,524,137 for upgrading 180 M-46s to M-46S standard (Indian designator: 155/45mm (E1) Soltam). A follow-on deal for 250 retrofit kits was optioned for. In 2005, after only 40 howitzers were modified, the M-46S programme was terminated due to a fatal barrel explosion.[15]

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

The US Defense Intelligence Agency has reported the existence of a number of locally designed self-propelled artillery systems, including the SPG 130 mm M1975, the SPG 130 mm M1981 and the SPG 130 mm M1991. Details are not available, but they appear to be M-46/Type 59s mounted on a tracked chassis “Tokchon”.[15]

Serbia

  • M46/84 – This is a conversion that involved replacing the original 130 mm barrel with a new 155/45 mm barrel or 152 mm barrel. With ERFB-BB ammunition, this version has a range of 38,600 m and with M05 152 mm range exceeds 40 km.[16]

Netherlands

  • RDM Technology BV is yet another company that offers an upgrade of the M-46/Type 59 that involves fitting a new 155mm/45 barrel.[15]

Romania

  • A412 – License-built Chinese Type 59-1 with D-20 carriage.[21] In Romanian Army service, the A412 is known as the 130 mm towed gun M1982 (Romanian: Tun calibrul 130-mm tractat M1982). The A412 was also exported.[15]

Type 59-1 was manufactured by Arsenal Resita under the designation A412 Model 1982 between 1982 and 1989. A maximum range of 33 km (21 mi) was reached Using NORINCO's Base Bleed ammunition. The A412 cannon can fire a 7-8 rounds per minute. The A412 was exported to four other countries: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cameroon, Guinea, and Nigeria.

Vietnam

  • PTH130-K225B – A self-propelled prototype placed on KrAZ 6x6 truck was revealed, based on Cuba's variant.[22]

Projectiles

  • Frag-HE, 3OF33 (with full charge 3VOF43) – range: 27,490 meters
  • Frag-HE, 3OF33 (with separate charge 3VOF44) – range: 22,490 meters
  • Frag-HE, ERFB-BB – Extended Range Full Bore – Base Bleed, range: 38,000 meters
  • APCBC-HE-T, BR-482 and BR-482B – range: 1,140 meters
  • Guided Shell, Firn-1 – range: 24,000 meters
  • Smoke
  • Chemical
  • Illumination

Operators

 
Map with M1954 operators in blue with former operators in red
 
M-46 in an Israeli museum. Note that the carriage is fitted with an extra axle and wheels to give a 'walking' suspension, and a sole plate has been added.

Former Operators

 
M-46 guns of the Army of Republika Srpska during the Bosnian War.

References

  1. ^ Tucker, Spencer C., ed. (May 2011). The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History (2 ed.). p. 1251. ISBN 978-1-85109-960-3.
  2. ^ Dunstan, Simon (10 November 2009). The Six Day War 1967: Jordan and Syria. Campaign 212. Osprey Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-84603-364-3.
  3. ^ David Axe (27 October 2022). "Ukraine Is Collecting A Lot Of Russia's Old T-62 Tanks". Forbes.
  4. ^ ordnanceandmilitaria.com/110-to-149mm-ammo
  5. ^ Red God of War – Soviet Artillery and Rocket Forces, Chris Bellamy, Brasseys, 1986. ISBN 0-08-031200-4
  6. ^ Artillery of the World, ed. Shelford Bidwell, Brasseys, 1977. ISBN 0-904609-04-9
  7. ^ The Encyclopedia of World Military Weapons 1988. ISBN 0-517-65341-9
  8. ^ "M-46 130 mm Field Gun | Military-Today.com". www.military-today.com. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  9. ^ Vanneman, Peter (1990). Soviet Strategy in Southern Africa: Gorbachev's Pragmatic Approach. Stanford: Hoover Institution Press. pp. 41–51. ISBN 978-0-8179-8902-6.
  10. ^ Harmse, Kyle; Dunstan, Simon (23 February 2017). South African Armour of the Border War 1975–89. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. pp. 31–38. ISBN 978-1-4728-1743-3.
  11. ^ a b c Leon Engelbrecht. "G6 L45 self-propelled towed gun-howitzer". from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  12. ^ George, Edward (2005). The Cuban intervention in Angola. New York: Frank Cass Publishers. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-415-64710-6.
  13. ^ a b Bridgland, Fred (1990). The War for Africa: Twelve months that transformed a continent. Gibraltar: Ashanti Publishing. pp. 300–327. ISBN 978-1-874800-12-5.
  14. ^ Cooper, Tom; Fontanellaz, Adrien (October 2016). "La guerre du Kagera". Batailles et Blindés (in French). No. 75. Caraktère. pp. 72–81. ISSN 1765-0828.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g Janes Armour and Artillery 2003–2004
  16. ^ a b Janes Armour and Artillery 1993–1994 ISBN 0-7106-1074-2
  17. ^ . Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  18. ^ a b "Defence Ministry signs Rs 200 crore contract to upgun 130 mm howitzers". India Today. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  19. ^ . Archived from the original on 19 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  20. ^ "India's OFB wins tender to upgrade 300 M-46 field guns". from the original on 3 November 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  21. ^ Stroea, Adrian; Băjenaru, Gheorghe (2010) – Artileria română în date și imagini – Editura Centrului Tehnic-Editorial al Armatei - ISBN 978-606-524-080-3
  22. ^ QPVN. "Học viện Kỹ thuật Quân sự - Thời cơ và khát vọng". www.qpvn.vn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa International Institute for Strategic Studies (2020). The Military Balance. Vol. 120. Routledge. pp. 141–506. ISBN 978-0-367-46639-8.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an "Trade Registers". Armstrade.sipri.org. from the original on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  25. ^ a b (PDF). New York: United Nations. 21 August 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
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  27. ^ The Military Balance 2021, p. 464.
  28. ^ Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (1 September 2021). "The Tigray Defence Forces - Documenting Its Heavy Weaponry". Oryx Blog.
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  32. ^ . Archived from the original on 19 November 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
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  34. ^ "Croatia donates M-46 field guns to Ukraine". shephardmedia.com. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
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External links

  • M-46
 
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January 07, 2023
towed, field, m1954, towed, field, russian, мм, пушка, manually, loaded, towed, artillery, piece, manufactured, soviet, union, 1950s, first, observed, west, 1954, field, guntypetowed, field, gunplace, originsoviet, unionservice, historywarsvietnam, south, afri. The 130 mm towed field gun M 46 Russian 130 mm pushka M 46 is a manually loaded towed 130 mm artillery piece manufactured in the Soviet Union in the 1950s It was first observed by the west in 1954 M 46 or KS 30M 46 130 mm field gunTypeTowed field gunPlace of originSoviet UnionService historyWarsVietnam War 1 South African Border WarSix Day War 2 Yom Kippur WarAngolan Civil WarUganda Tanzania WarIran Iraq WarFirst Nagorno Karabakh WarYugoslav WarsSyrian Civil WarYemeni Civil War 2015 present 2020 Nagorno Karabakh conflictTigray warIsraeli Lebanese conflict2022 Russian Invasion Of Ukraine 3 Production historyDesigned1946 1950ManufacturerMOTZProduced1951 1971SpecificationsMass7 700 kg 17 000 lb Length11 73 m 38 ft 6 in Barrel lengthBore 7 15 m 23 ft 5 in L 55Width2 45 m 8 ft Height2 55 m 8 ft 4 in Crew8Shell130 x 845 mm R 4 R 184 6mm separate loading charge and projectileCaliber130 mm 5 1 in BreechHorizontal sliding wedgeRecoilhydro pneumaticCarriageSplit trailElevation 2 5 to 45 Traverse50 Rate of fire6 rpm normal 8 rpm burst 5 rpm sustained Muzzle velocity930 m s 3 051 ft s Maximum firing range27 km 17 mi unassisted 40 km 25 mi assisted For many years the M 46 was one of the longest range artillery pieces around with a range of more than 27 km 17 mi unassisted and 40 km 25 mi assisted Contents 1 Design history 2 Description 3 Operational history 4 Variants 4 1 Soviet Union 4 2 China 4 3 Cuba 4 4 Egypt 4 5 India 4 6 Israel 4 7 Democratic People s Republic of Korea 4 8 Serbia 4 9 Netherlands 4 10 Romania 4 11 Vietnam 5 Projectiles 6 Operators 6 1 Former Operators 7 References 8 External linksDesign history EditThe order was given in April 1946 to design a duplex artillery pice to replace the obsolete 122 mm gun M1931 37 A 19 152 mm howitzer gun M1937 ML 20 and other World War II era field guns such as 122 mm Model 1931 152 mm Model 1910 30 152 mm Model 1935 BR 2 The new pieces designed by the factory No 172 MOTZ shared the same carriage and were given the designators M 46 130 mm and M 47 152 mm The respective GRAU designators are 52 P 482 and 52 P 547 citation needed The development phase was finished in 1950 and one year later series production started Many M 46s were exported A second duplex artillery system was subsequently designed by FF Petrov s design bureau at Artillery Factory No 9 This comprised a 122 mm Gun and a 152 mm Howitzer The 122 mm Gun D 74 was a competitor to the M 46 and while many were produced the M 46 became the only long range Gun in Soviet service until new 152 mm Guns were made in the 1970s Description Edit The Finnish Defence Forces using 130 mm Gun M 46 during a direct fire mission in a live fire exercise in 2010 The M 46 was developed from the M 36 130 mm naval gun used on ships and for coast defence It is a true gun being unable to fire much above 45 and having a long barrel and a single propelling charge In contrast most Western field guns of this period had a dual high and low angle fire capability a gun howitzer It has a 39 calibre barrel with a tied jaw horizontal sliding block breech and pepperpot muzzle brake The latter is not notably efficient but subjective reports suggest that it is quite effective in reducing muzzle flash The hydro pneumatic recoil system comprises a buffer below the barrel and a recuperator above the barrel The long barrel enables a substantial propelling charge by providing more length in which to achieve all burnt and hence projectile acceleration space and thus achieve its 930 m s muzzle velocity The barrel is mounted on a split trail carriage with deep box section trails and foam filled road wheels on the ground when firing and 50 of top traverse The small shield protects little more than the sights possible including from the effects of muzzle blast and some protection from machine gun fire in anti tank engagements The gun has long and robust trails to provide stability when firing a large detachable spade is fitted to the end of each when the gun is brought into action Non reciprocating sights are standard Soviet pattern designed for one man laying Included are a direct fire anti tank telescope a panoramic periscopic indirect fire sight a dial sight in a reciprocating mounting an angle of sight scale and a range drum engraved with the range distance scale coupled to a mounted elevation levelling bubble The range drum enables the standard Soviet technique of semi direct fire when the piece is laid visually on the target and the range set on the range drum An APN 3 was later provided for direct fire at night in place of the day telescope For travel the gun is towed via a two wheeled limber fitted to the end of the closed trails with the spades removed and carried on each trail Simple jacks on the trails just behind the main wheels are used to lift and support the closed trails so that the limber can be connected The barrel and recuperator are pulled back between the closed trails and locked in a travelling position There is a large bicycle chain arrangement on the right trail for this and a compressed air cylinder charged by the gun firing is used to bring the barrel forward when the gun is brought back into action It takes about four minutes to bring the gun into action the normal detachment is eight strong Propelling charges are in metal cartridge cases and loaded separately from the projectile Projectiles originally included HE fragmentation Armour Piercing solid shot smoke illuminating and chemical HE shells weigh 33 kg 73 lb Illuminating shells have a substantially lower muzzle velocity APHE and extended range shells were introduced later Maximum rate of fire is probably 6 7 rounds minute and about 70 rounds hour The standard Soviet unit of fire was 80 rounds 5 6 7 Operational history Edit Israeli M 46s open fire on Syrian positions during the Yom Kippur War The M 46 was first seen openly at the 1954 May Day Parade in Moscow It initially replaced the 100 mm BS 3 field and anti tank gun However its long range made it well suited for counter battery actions There are reports of poor fragmentation Its Soviet use with an integrated fire control system including SNAR 2 radars has also been reported citation needed In Soviet service M 46 battalions were in Army and Front artillery brigades It is or has been in service with at least 25 countries and has been license manufactured in China as the Type 59 It was replaced in Soviet Russian inventory by the 2A36 Giatsint B and the self propelled 2S5 Giatsint S Several companies like Soltam and RDM Technology BV have presented upgrade packages for the gun These include for instance an upgrade to a 45 caliber 155 mm gun Its long range made it especially useful in the Vietnam War 8 The M 46 saw extensive combat service with the People s Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola FAPLA during the Angolan Civil War and South African Border War 9 From the mid to late 1970s Angolan M 46s were deployed with some success in the counter battery role against South African artillery units which possessed comparatively short ranged BL 5 5 inch Medium Guns 10 South Africa later acquired six M 46s from Israel for evaluation purposes this likely influenced its development of the G5 howitzer which was adopted to counter the range and effectiveness of the FAPLA field guns 11 Cuba also deployed M 46 batteries of its own in support of FAPLA operations during its lengthy military intervention in Angola 12 Cuban and FAPLA M 46s were used most notably during the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale where individual guns were deployed in ones or twos rather than concentrated in single positions to reduce the threat posed by counter battery fire from South African G5s 13 Cuban tacticians were able to repeatedly stall a South African mechanized and armored offensive by using minefields to channel the attackers into bottlenecks where the M 46s could concentrate their fire 13 Tanzania People s Defence Force fielded some M 46 guns during Uganda Tanzania War in 1978 1979 14 A version of this gun possibly the Chinese manufactured Type 59 1 is suspected to have been used by North Korea for shelling the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong in the Yellow Sea on 23 November 2010 Variants EditSoviet Union Edit M 47 This is a 152 mm field gun Russian 152 mm pushka M 47 obr 1953 g that was developed alongside the M 46 The M 47 had a range of 20 470 m and was far less successful than its 130 mm counterpart Only a small number was built between 1954 and 1957 Externally the M 46 and M 47 are virtually identical except for the calibre China Edit Iraqi Type 59 1 Type 59 This is a licensed version of the M 46 15 Type 59 1 This is a combination of the 130 mm ordnance of the Type 59 with the carriage of the Type 60 D 74 copy The result is a gun with the same range as the M 46 but with a much lower weight of 6 3 t The M59 1M is the Egyptian licence version For the export market a version with APU and redesigned carriage was developed Also for the export market a self propelled variant based on the Type 83 SPH was designed 16 Type GM 45 For the export market NORINCO China North Industries Corporation developed this upgrade package where the original barrel of the Type 59 is replaced by the 155 45 mm ordnance of the WA 021 The Type GM 45 has a maximum range of 39 km when ERFB BB ammunition is used 15 Cuba Edit The Cuban army operates two different locally designed self propelled versions of the M 46 One is based on the tracked chassis of the T 34 85 tank while the other is based on a heavily modified KrAZ 6x6 truck These and other modifications were shown for the first time during the 2006 military parade citation needed Egypt Edit The Egyptian Army operates a locally assembled variant of the M 46 17 India Edit The Indian Army has a total of around 1000 of the 130 mm towed guns that were acquired from the former Soviet Union beginning in 1968 18 Upgunned Soltam 155 mm guns A total of 180 of the 130 mm guns held by Indian Army were upgunned to 155 calibre by the Israeli firm Soltam in 2008 18 IOB Sharang 155 mm 45 calibre guns Another 155 mm upgrade 45 Calibre upgrade of the 300 M 46 towed guns this one designed by Ordnance Factory Board OFB The upgraded M 46 has a range of 39 km 19 India s Ministry of Defence MoD has awarded an INR2 billion US 27 2 million contract on 25 October 2018 to the state owned Ordnance Factory Board OFB to upgrade 300 of the Indian Army s IA s Soviet era 130 mm 52 calibre M 46 field guns to 155 mm 45 calibre in a bid to augment its firepower 20 SP 130 Catapult Indian designed self propelled version mounted on the hull of the Vijayanta tank 15 Israel Edit M 46S This is an upgrade of an existing M 46 or Type 59 carried out by Soltam Systems Ltd The original barrel is replaced by a new model of 155 45mm western ammunition for a range of 25 8 HE to 39 km ERFB BB A 39 calibre barrel is optional In March 2000 Soltam won a contract worth 47 524 137 for upgrading 180 M 46s to M 46S standard Indian designator 155 45mm E1 Soltam A follow on deal for 250 retrofit kits was optioned for In 2005 after only 40 howitzers were modified the M 46S programme was terminated due to a fatal barrel explosion 15 Democratic People s Republic of Korea Edit The US Defense Intelligence Agency has reported the existence of a number of locally designed self propelled artillery systems including the SPG 130 mm M1975 the SPG 130 mm M1981 and the SPG 130 mm M1991 Details are not available but they appear to be M 46 Type 59s mounted on a tracked chassis Tokchon 15 Serbia Edit M46 84 This is a conversion that involved replacing the original 130 mm barrel with a new 155 45 mm barrel or 152 mm barrel With ERFB BB ammunition this version has a range of 38 600 m and with M05 152 mm range exceeds 40 km 16 Netherlands Edit RDM Technology BV is yet another company that offers an upgrade of the M 46 Type 59 that involves fitting a new 155mm 45 barrel 15 Romania Edit A412 License built Chinese Type 59 1 with D 20 carriage 21 In Romanian Army service the A412 is known as the 130 mm towed gun M1982 Romanian Tun calibrul 130 mm tractat M1982 The A412 was also exported 15 Type 59 1 was manufactured by Arsenal Resita under the designation A412 Model 1982 between 1982 and 1989 A maximum range of 33 km 21 mi was reached Using NORINCO s Base Bleed ammunition The A412 cannon can fire a 7 8 rounds per minute The A412 was exported to four other countries Bosnia Herzegovina Cameroon Guinea and Nigeria Vietnam Edit PTH130 K225B A self propelled prototype placed on KrAZ 6x6 truck was revealed based on Cuba s variant 22 Projectiles EditFrag HE 3OF33 with full charge 3VOF43 range 27 490 meters Frag HE 3OF33 with separate charge 3VOF44 range 22 490 meters Frag HE ERFB BB Extended Range Full Bore Base Bleed range 38 000 meters APCBC HE T BR 482 and BR 482B range 1 140 meters Guided Shell Firn 1 range 24 000 meters Smoke Chemical IlluminationOperators Edit Map with M1954 operators in blue with former operators in red M 46 in an Israeli museum Note that the carriage is fitted with an extra axle and wheels to give a walking suspension and a sole plate has been added Algeria 10 23 340 Angola 146 acquired from the Soviet Union and Bulgaria 24 48 in service 23 460 Azerbaijan 36 acquired from Bulgaria 25 Bangladesh 62 Type 59 1 variant 23 254 Bosnia Herzegovina 8 A412 variant 24 Cambodia Type 59 1s 24 Cameroon 12 A412 variant 24 and 12 Type 59 variant 26 People s Republic of China 234 in service in 2016 Type 59 and Type 59 1 variants 23 261 Republic of the Congo 5 23 470 Democratic Republic of the Congo 42 Type 59 and Type 59 1 variants 23 472 Cuba 197 24 Egypt 650 250 M 46 and 400 Type 59 1M 24 Eritrea 39 acquired from Bulgaria 24 19 in service 27 Ethiopia 114 24 Tigray Defense Forces 28 Guinea 12 A412 variant 24 Guyana 6 IISS questions their serviceability as of 2020 update 23 434 India 600 in service and 500 in store 200 modified to 155 mm caliber 23 271 Iran 726 100 M 46 and 626 Type 59 24 Another estimation gives 985 M 46s 23 349 Iraq 676 24 M 46 and Type 59 variants 23 353 Israel 23 345 Captured from Syria and Egypt 11 Laos 10 23 291 Lebanon 15 23 362 16 24 Libya 330 24 Mongolia 50 24 Morocco 18 Donated by Egypt in the late 1970 s 23 367 Mozambique 24 24 6 in service in 2016 23 490 Myanmar 16 Type 59 1 and 160 M 46 in service 29 Nigeria 4 A412 variant 24 Another estimation gives 7 M 46s 23 494 North Korea 210 160 M 46 and 50 Type 59 24 Oman 15 acquired from unidentified source 24 Other source gives 12 M 46s and 12 Type 59 1s 23 369 Pakistan 360 100 M 46 and 260 Type 59 24 30 Other estimation gives 410 Type 59 1s in service in 2016 23 300 Peru 30 24 to 36 23 433 Romania 75 A412 variant 31 Russia 650 23 196 Serbia 32 18 23 141 South Sudan 23 502 Sri Lanka 12 24 to 30 23 310 Type 59 or Type 59 1 variant 24 Sudan 30 24 to 75 23 503 Type 59 variant 24 Syria 650 24 Free Syrian Army 33 Tanzania 30 23 506 to 50 24 Type 59 1 variant 23 506 Thailand 54 Type 59 variant 24 Uganda 6 acquired from Bulgaria 25 Ukraine 15 M 46H1 variant provided by Croatia in 2022 34 United Arab Emirates 20 Type 59 1 variant 23 381 Vietnam 519 24 Zambia 18 Type 59 variant 24 Former Operators Edit M 46 guns of the Army of Republika Srpska during the Bosnian War Soviet Union Afghanistan 428 24 People s Socialist Republic of Albania 100 Type 59 variant 24 People s Republic of Bulgaria 72 24 Croatia 36 M 46H1 variant 35 East Germany 175 24 Finland 144 acquired from the Soviet Union in 1965 66 and 166 from ex East Germany in 1993 24 In 2016 36 were still in service under the designation 130 K 54 All were withdrawn from active service in 2019 citation needed Germany Former East German guns 166 sold to Finland in 1993 Islamic State 34 36 37 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam 12 Type 59 1 38 Palestine Liberation Organization 10 acquired from East Germany 24 People s Republic of Kampuchea 30 24 Somalia 10 Type 59 variant 24 South Africa 6 on loan from Israel later returned 11 South Lebanon Army 5 acquired from Israel 24 Yemen 93 received 24 and 60 in service in 2016 39 Yugoslavia 186 24 References Edit Tucker Spencer C ed May 2011 The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War A Political Social and Military History 2 ed p 1251 ISBN 978 1 85109 960 3 Dunstan Simon 10 November 2009 The Six Day War 1967 Jordan and Syria Campaign 212 Osprey Publishing p 65 ISBN 978 1 84603 364 3 David Axe 27 October 2022 Ukraine Is Collecting A Lot Of Russia s Old T 62 Tanks Forbes ordnanceandmilitaria com 110 to 149mm ammo Red God of War Soviet Artillery and Rocket Forces Chris Bellamy Brasseys 1986 ISBN 0 08 031200 4 Artillery of the World ed Shelford Bidwell Brasseys 1977 ISBN 0 904609 04 9 The Encyclopedia of World Military Weapons 1988 ISBN 0 517 65341 9 M 46 130 mm Field Gun Military Today com www military today com Retrieved 20 March 2021 Vanneman Peter 1990 Soviet Strategy in Southern Africa Gorbachev s Pragmatic Approach Stanford Hoover Institution Press pp 41 51 ISBN 978 0 8179 8902 6 Harmse Kyle Dunstan Simon 23 February 2017 South African Armour of the Border War 1975 89 Oxford Osprey Publishing pp 31 38 ISBN 978 1 4728 1743 3 a b c Leon Engelbrecht G6 L45 self propelled towed gun howitzer Archived from the original on 9 January 2014 Retrieved 13 November 2014 George Edward 2005 The Cuban intervention in Angola New York Frank Cass Publishers p 226 ISBN 978 0 415 64710 6 a b Bridgland Fred 1990 The War for Africa Twelve months that transformed a continent Gibraltar Ashanti Publishing pp 300 327 ISBN 978 1 874800 12 5 Cooper Tom Fontanellaz Adrien October 2016 La guerre du Kagera Batailles et Blindes in French No 75 Caraktere pp 72 81 ISSN 1765 0828 a b c d e f g Janes Armour and Artillery 2003 2004 a b Janes Armour and Artillery 1993 1994 ISBN 0 7106 1074 2 Egypt Abou Zaabal Co For Engineering Industries ابو زعبل للصناعات الهندسية تفاصيل المنتجات الحربيه Archived from the original on 25 April 2012 Retrieved 22 August 2018 a b Defence Ministry signs Rs 200 crore contract to upgun 130 mm howitzers India Today Retrieved 18 October 2018 Ordnance Factory Board Archived from the original on 19 November 2014 Retrieved 13 November 2014 India s OFB wins tender to upgrade 300 M 46 field guns Archived from the original on 3 November 2018 Retrieved 3 November 2018 Stroea Adrian Băjenaru Gheorghe 2010 Artileria romană in date și imagini Editura Centrului Tehnic Editorial al Armatei ISBN 978 606 524 080 3 QPVN Học viện Kỹ thuật Quan sự Thời cơ va khat vọng www qpvn vn in Vietnamese Retrieved 27 October 2021 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa International Institute for Strategic Studies 2020 The Military Balance Vol 120 Routledge pp 141 506 ISBN 978 0 367 46639 8 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an Trade Registers Armstrade sipri org Archived from the original on 14 April 2010 Retrieved 20 November 2014 a b United Nations Register of Conventional Arms Report of the Secretary General PDF New York United Nations 21 August 2003 Archived from the original PDF on 12 September 2017 Retrieved 12 September 2017 The Military Balance 2021 p 454 The Military Balance 2021 p 464 Mitzer Stijn Oliemans Joost 1 September 2021 The Tigray Defence Forces Documenting Its Heavy Weaponry Oryx Blog SIPRI Trade Register Stockholm International Peace Research Institute John Pike Pakistan Army Equipment Globalsecurity org Archived from the original on 26 October 2012 Retrieved 19 March 2013 United Nations Official Document Archived from the original on 9 July 2014 Retrieved 20 November 2016 M 46 130 mm Gun Serbian Armed Forces Serbian Archived from the original on 19 November 2014 Retrieved 13 November 2014 Syrie rudes combats a Abou Dali entre les djihadistes d Hayat Tahrir al Cham et le regime de Damas France Soir in French 19 October 2017 Archived from the original on 29 June 2018 Retrieved 28 June 2018 Croatia donates M 46 field guns to Ukraine shephardmedia com 15 August 2022 Retrieved 19 September 2022 International Institute for Strategic Studies 2019 Chapter Four Europe The Military Balance 119 1 95 doi 10 1080 04597222 2018 1561029 S2CID 219622746 Vehicles and equipment captured and operated by the Islamic State inside Syria spioenkop blogspot com 10 November 2014 Archived from the original on 12 November 2014 Retrieved 25 March 2019 Etat islamique et chars d assaut comment les djihadistes emploient leurs blindes en Irak et en Syrie France Soir in French 2 February 2017 Archived from the original on 3 February 2017 Retrieved 27 February 2019 Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis July 2006 May 2009 PDF Ministry Of Defence Democratic Socialist Republic Of Sri Lanka Retrieved 9 September 2021 International Institute for Strategic Studies 2015 Chapter Seven Middle East and North Africa The Military Balance 116 1 358 doi 10 1080 04597222 2015 996362 S2CID 219625386 International Institute for Strategic Studies February 2021 The Military Balance 2021 Vol 121 Routledge ISBN 9781032012278 External links EditM 46 TYPE 59 130MM TOWED GUN Wikimedia Commons has media related to M 46 130 mm gun https www youtube com watch v Abjk1QlDQQM Finnish 130 K 154 Training Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 130 mm towed field gun M1954 M 46 amp oldid 1130331025, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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