Afanasev Makarov AM-23
| AM-23 aircraft cannon | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Type | Single-barrel |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Soviet Union, Russia, China |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Nikolay M. Afanasev, Nikolay F. Makarov |
| Designed | 1954 |
| Manufacturer | Tulamashzavod, Tula |
| Produced | 1953 – late 1970s |
| Variants | Norinco Type 23–2 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 43 kg |
| Length | 1,467 mm |
| Barrel length | 1,000 mm barrel length |
| Width | 166 mm |
| Height | 175 mm |
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| Cartridge | 23x115 mm |
| Caliber | 23 mm (0.9 in) |
| Barrels | 1 |
| Action | Gas operation |
| Rate of fire | 1,250 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 710 m/s |
| Effective firing range | up to 2,000 m |
| Feed system | in belts |
The Afanasev Makarov AM-23 is a Russian designed aircraft that has been used in a number of aircraft in the Soviet Air Force. Its GRAU index was 9-A-036. It was often used in place of the earlier and slower-firing Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23.
In 1953 the first strategic jet bomber, the Tu-16, was introduced into the Soviet Air Force. A new 23 mm cannon was needed for the defensive turrets of this bomber, which was supposed to be more compact and faster firing than the NR-23. The designers Nikolay M. Afanasev and Nikolay F. Makarov from the TsKB-14 design bureau scaled-up the A-12.7 12.7 mm machine gun to create a 23 mm aircraft cannon. The TKB-495 (TKB - Tool'skoye Konstrooktorskoye Byuro – Tula design bureau) achieved a maximum rate of 1,350 rounds per minute during the tests and in May 1954, roughly double that of the NR-23. It was officially renamed the AM-23 in honour of its designers.
The Tu-16 bomber was armed with a total of seven AM-23 cannon. A single cannon was fixed in the nose of the aircraft and the others were mounted in pairs inside the defensive turrets. The Tu-95 bomber was in most versions equipped with a total of six AM-23 cannon located in three defensive turrets. Later, the tail turret of the Tu-95 was completely replaced by an electronic countermeasures installation, which resulted in the Tu-95MS. Apart from the Tu-16 and Tu-95, the AM-23 cannon was also installed on the Antonov An-8, An-12B, B-8, B-10, Il-54, Il-76, Myasishchev M-4, 3M and M-6 bombers and transporters. The DB-65U tail turret of the An-12 transporter was equipped with two AM-23 cannon for example.
China bought a licence to produce a copy of the AM-23 cannon, which they designate Type 23-2.
The AM-23 aircraft cannon is a gas-operated weapon with a vertically moving wedge breechblock. Two jointed chambering levers are pivoted from the actuating slide. The upper, longer lever is used to ram the cartridge from the belt link into the chamber. An extraction claw on its forward end is used to extract the fired cartridge case. The lower lever protrudes into the weapon housing and has a U-shaped recess on its lower end. As the actuating slide moves back and forth, a lug in the weapon housing is cammed into this recess to guide the chambering levers. The 12.7mm A-12.7 aircraft machine gun and the 23mm ZSU anti-aircraft gun are essentially identical in design and operation.
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Wikipedia