82 mm recoilless gun B-10

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
B-10 recoilless gun in marching position

The recoilless 82 mm gun B-10 is a recoilless gun produced in the former Soviet Union from 1954 to 1964 . The weapon combines the properties of a grenade launcher and an anti-tank weapon and was used in motorized rifle and airborne units to combat armored vehicles, field fortifications and permanent combat systems, to hold down and destroy troops inside and outside cover and to create lanes in wire obstacles. Although now mostly replaced by more modern weapon systems in regular armed forces, it can still be found in the arming of various armies and irregular forces.

The original name is 82-мм безоткатное орудие Б-10 . In various sources, the weapon was also referred to as the RG-82 based on the caliber. The GRAU index is 52-M-881.

development

At the beginning of the 1950s, the Soviet airborne troops and motorized rifle units had the 82-mm SG-82 grenade launcher as their armament. The development of this weapon had started in 1942, but the grenade launcher was not adopted into the armament until 1950. However, the inadequate combat properties quickly became apparent. The gun was too heavy and unwieldy. Another disadvantage was the short range, which made it impossible to fight and hold down opposing troops at greater distances. In addition, at the beginning of the 1950s, the member states of NATO introduced a new generation of battle tanks that could not be fought with the SG-82.

The Central Artillery Administration (GAU) in the Soviet Ministry of Defense (Главное артиллерийское управление МО (ГРАУ)) therefore called for the development of a new weapon with a total weight of no more than 100 kg and an effective range of at least 4000 m. The weapon should be able to penetrate armor with a thickness of 200-250 mm. For the development of a competition was held, at which the special design office no. 4 (SKB-4) (Специальное конструкторское бюро (СКБ-4)) in Kolomna , led by Boris Ivanovich Schawyrin (Борис Иванович Шавырин) and the Central Design Office of artillery (Центральное артиллерийское конструкторское бюро (ЦАКБ)) in Koroljow under the direction of Vasily Gavrilowitsch Grabin (Василий Гаврилович Гаврилович Гаврилович Гаврилович р. As a result of the tests, the design of the SKB-4 was accepted. Production began in 1954, in the same year the weapon was also included in the armament of the Soviet Army, and ended in 1964. The B-10 was manufactured in the Tula mechanical engineering plant .

construction

Weapon in combat position, note the sight attachment
Weapon in combat position, note the pistol grip

pipe

The weapon is constructed according to the Dennistoun Burney principle , the chamber is surrounded by a second chamber with holes for gas outlet. At the bottom of the propellant charge there is a perforated disk through which the gases were passed via the chamber into the second chamber and from there through the gas outlet openings to the outside. Controlling the pressure conditions in the pipe had proven to be the biggest problem during development and testing, but the SKB-4 succeeded in reducing the gas pressure in the pipe from 3000 to 400 at .

The second difference to the Burney construction is that the B-10 is a smoothbore cannon , so it fires wing-stabilized ammunition. The weapon is loaded via the breech. Chamber and the manually openable closure are located at the rear end of the tube. The pistol grip for firing the weapon is on the right.

Two handles and a support wheel are attached to the muzzle of the barrel to make it easier to move the gun in the platoon. The operation consists of a total of four men: the gun leader, the K1 (directional gunner), the K2 (loading gunner) and the K3 (ammunition gunner). The weapon can be moved from marching to combat position within a minute.

Visor

The sighting device is on the left of the tube. The straightening attachment PBO-2 is used with two attachments. Attachment A is used for indirect straightening, attachment B for direct straightening. Attachment A has a field of view of 9 ° and magnifies 2.5 times, attachment B has a field of view of 18 ° and magnifies 3 times. The straightening attachment can be illuminated for night combat. An angle measuring quadrant and measuring rods are also available to measure the position.

Mount

A tripod mount is used. The mount can be brought into two positions to achieve either a low silhouette or the largest possible field of fire. A simple, unsprung chassis with disk wheels is attached to the tripod. This chassis is only used to maneuver the weapon on the battlefield; for the march, the weapon is usually loaded onto a carrier vehicle.

ammunition

A variety of ammunition types exist for the B-10. Frag grenades are fired to fight soft and semi-hard targets and shaped charge grenades are used to fight tanks.

Types of ammunition
Type designation Weight of the grenade in kg Weight of the explosive charge in g Muzzle velocity in m / s Penetration performance, mm armor steel effective range, m
Shaped charge grenades
Shaped charge throwing grenade MK-10 4.9 322
Shaped charge throwing grenade BK-881 3.87 0.46
Shaped charge throwing grenade BK-881M 4.11 0.54 322 240
Shaped charge throwing grenade (China) Type 65 3.5 240 356
Fragmentation grenades
Frag grenade MO-10 4.9 320
Frag grenade O-881A 4.9 320 4500
Frag grenade (China) Type 65 4.6 175 1750

Versions

B-10

The original version is named B-10 . In various publications, the weapons used in the East German NVA are also referred to as RG-82 . No further modifications from Soviet manufacturers are known.

Type 65

The weapon was also produced and further developed in the People's Republic of China . The Type 65 has a lighter carriage without wheels, which reduces the total weight of the weapon to 28.2 kg.

Type 65-1

This version, made in China, can be dismantled into two parts.

Technical specifications

82 mm recoilless gun B-10
General properties
classification
Chief designer Boris Ivanovich Shavyrin
Name of the manufacturer B-10
Manufacturer Tula machine building plant
Weight in firing position 86 kg
Weight in driving position
team 4 men
Years of construction 1954-1964
number of pieces
pipe
caliber 82 mm
Pipe length 1660 m
Fire dates
Elevation range −20 / + 35 °
Side straightening area ± 250 °
Maximum range 4470 m
Maximum muzzle velocity 322 m / s
fire rate 5-6 rounds / min
agility
Top speed in tow

commitment

Operational principles

The weapon was used in the Soviet Army and in the armed forces structured according to the Soviet model in airborne and motorized rifle battalions and regiments. Their high mobility, combined with good ballistic performance, made them a versatile weapon and, however, meant that the weapon was also used outside of these structures.

The weapon could be used successfully against the tanks introduced in the 1950s, but with the increasing thickness of the armor in the course of technical development, the limit of the B-10 became apparent. Another disadvantage in combat was the inherent high level of noise and dust, which revealed the position of the weapon and made aiming difficult after the first shot. Since anti-tank guided missiles were also available in the Soviet Union from the mid-1960s, the B-10 was replaced by these in its role as an anti-tank weapon.

Countries of operation

The weapon was exported to Bulgaria , Cambodia , China , the GDR , Egypt , the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , Pakistan , Poland , Syria and Vietnam .

Use in the NVA

The NVA used the recoilless 82 mm B-10 gun from 1957. A total of 24 weapons were planned for a motorized rifle regiment of the NVA; the planned numbers could also be procured. However, the weapon was retired by 1967, as anti-tank missile systems and howitzers of the 122 mm caliber were increasingly available in the artillery departments of the regiments. The weapons that were released were not sorted out, but handed over to the fighting groups of the working class . They were used there until they were dissolved in 1990. Until the end of the 1960s, the B-10 was also part of the 4th company of the "Barracked Units of the MdI".

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b see Copenhagen
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g see RWD III

Web links

Commons : B-10 recoilless rifle  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

literature

  • Wilfried Copenhagen: The land forces of the NVA. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-613-02297-4 .
  • В. Н. Шунков: Оружие Красной Армии. Мн .: Харвест, 1999, ISBN 985-433-469-4 .