85 mm antitank gun D-48

85-mm antitank gun D-48
85 mm antitank gun D-48.
Type	Anti-tank gun
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Production history
Designed	1948
Produced	1955 – 1957
Variants	Type 60
Specifications
Weight	2,350 kg (5,180.8 lbs)
Length	8.72 m (28.6 ft)
Barrel length	74 calibers(6.29 m)
Width	1.59 m (5.22 ft)
Height	1.89 m (6.2 ft)
Crew	6
Caliber	85 mm
Carriage	split trail
Elevation	-6° to 35°
Traverse	54°
Rate of fire	up to 15 rounds per minute (max) 8 rounds per minute (normal)
Muzzle velocity	1040 m/s
Effective firing range	1200 m
Maximum firing range	18.97 km (11.8 mi)
Sights	OP-2-77 OP-4-77

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.

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 tracer (HVAP-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.