Production of Soviet B-10 recoilless guns continues in Vietnam

In Vietnam, the production of Soviet B-10 recoilless guns continues. They are manufactured at the Z125 defense company and have the local designation DKZ82.

The USSR supplied these weapons of destruction to a friendly country when it repelled American aggression. In parallel, deliveries from China were also carried out. Their clones were designated Type 65.

Currently, the People's Army simultaneously operates all three versions.

The B-10s were put into service 67 years ago and were used by motorized rifle and airborne units. They were first tested in a real combat situation in 1956, during the Hungarian events.

The 82-mm gun weighs 86 kg and has a maximum firing range of more than 4400 meters, a sighting range of up to 1000 m.

The ammunition includes shots weighing 3.87 kg, with an armor penetration of 200-250 mm. Initial speed - 322 m/s. The use of high-explosive fragmentation mines is also envisaged. The rate of fire is 5-6 rounds per minute. Calculation - 4 people.

In the 50s, these recoilless vehicles could quite successfully deal with a variety of armored vehicles. In Vietnam and in some other hot spots, some fighters used them not from a tripod-carriage, but fired from the shoulder.

However, in the 60s, these guns were replaced with lighter machine-gun anti-tank grenade launchers SPG-9 "Spear", which have higher tactical and technical characteristics. They are also in the arsenals of the Vietnam Army.

Alexey Moiseev