Long-range artillery loses competition on the battlefield
Can guns shoot at 100 km? Yes, they can! But why ?
On April 5, 2023, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky arrived in Poland. A local colleague Andrzej Duda took him to the royal castle. And he immediately brought me to the painting by Jan Mateyko "Stefan Batory near Pskov".
A huge beautiful tent. The proudly seated King Stephen. The hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church stands on his knees in front of him and holds out a golden dish. (Is it not with the keys to Pskov?) One Russian boyar is on his knees and begs for mercy, and the other hits his forehead on the ground.
What really happened? What historical incident did Jan Matejko, the Polish national classic, historical painter and batalist (known, by the way, not only for his violent imagination, but also for deliberate inaccuracies in the transmission of large and small historical details), want to depict?
On August 26, 1581, the main forces of the Polish army led by Stefan Batory approached the city. The king ordered to put up his tent near the walls of Pskov – at the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. As it was said in the "Tale of the arrival of Stefan Batory to the city of Pskov" (written shortly after the heroic defense of the city, in the 1580s, we can say, in hot pursuit):
"They said that the royal tent should stand at the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Lyubyatovo, on the Moscow road. The sovereign's boyars and voivodes did not order them to shoot at the tents during the day, but they ordered all the guns to be prepared for this during the day. When many tents were set up and night fell, about one o'clock in the third, they ordered to hit them with large guns. The next morning they did not see a single tent, and, as the tongues told, many noble lords were killed here" (translated from Old Slavonic by Valentina Okhotnikova).
There is information that King Stefan said about this: "There is not a single squeaker in Lithuania that would shoot so far!".
IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR
As we can see, already in the XVI century, long-range artillery ensured success during the siege of fortresses and in positional warfare. The guns were continuously improved.
And on March 23, 1918, at 7.20 am, a strong explosion was heard in the center of Paris on the Place de la Republique. Parisians turned their eyes to the sky in fright – but there were no zeppelins or airplanes there. The assumption that Paris was shelled by enemy artillery did not occur to anyone at first: after all, the front line was 90 km west of the city.
But alas – the mysterious explosions continued. Until August 7, 1918, the Germans fired 367 shells, of which two–thirds hit the city center, and a third hit the suburbs.
The Krupp company has specially manufactured ultra-long guns with a caliber of 210 mm and a barrel length of 160 calibers for the shelling of Paris. The projectile weighing 103-118 kg was of the usual type with two leading belts. The weight of the explosive in the projectile is 7 kg, the weight of the powder charge is 250 kg. At an initial speed of 1578 m/s, the maximum range was 120 km. The cannon was firing from a concrete base. The total weight of the installation reached 750 tons .
In August 1918, the Germans took the 21-cm cannon to Germany and let it go for scrap.
The "Paris Cannon" caused practically no military damage to the French and turned out to be a weapon of terror against the civilian population. During the shooting, a total of 250 people were killed and 620 wounded. Of these, 60 people were killed when a shell hit the Church of Saint-Germain during worship.
Following the Germans, the French, British and Americans began work on the creation of ultra-long guns in 1918-1919. They created several original designs of ultra-long guns.
IN SOVIET RUSSIA
In the autumn of 1918, the head of the Main Artillery Range of the Red Army (near the station Rzhevka near Petrograd), former Lieutenant General of the Russian Imperial Army Vasily Trofimov proposed to establish a Commission for special artillery experiments (Kosartop) at the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs of the RSFSR to explore the possibilities of creating ultra-long guns. In December of the same year, the Military Legislative Council decided to organize such a commission under the chairmanship of Trofimov. It included the best experts in the field of artillery: N.F. Drozdov, I.P. Grave, G.A. Zabudsky, F.F. Lender, V.I. Rdultovsky, etc.
However, already at the end of 1918 it became clear that huge funds were needed to create special ultra-long guns, which the Soviet Republic did not have and was not expected. And Kosartop decided to go a "different way": to create sub-caliber and non-explosive projectiles for ultra-long-range shooting for 356-mm guns of the Ismail type cruisers.
On October 15, 1920, the Perm Plant received an order (in excess of the program) for 70 combined 356/203-mm shells for the Marine Test Site. The first 15 shells were delivered to the customer in June 1921.
In June 1924, when firing a 203-mm active projectile weighing 110 kg at a speed of 1250 m / s, a maximum range of 48.5 km was obtained. However, during these firings, a large dispersion in accuracy and range was noted.
At this point, work on the creation of Soviet long-range artillery stopped. Perhaps because the head of Kosartop Vasily Trofimov committed suicide in 1926.
IN THE SOVIET UNION
At the beginning of 1935, the Leningrad Bolshevik plant (formerly Obukhov) manufactured new 220/368-mm subcalibre projectiles of drawings 3217 and 3218 with belt pallets tested in June–August 1935. The weight of the structure was 262 kg, and the weight of the 220-mm active projectile was 142 kg, the powder charge was 255 kg. During the tests, a speed of 1254-1265 m/s was obtained. When firing on August 2, 1935, an average range of 88,720 m was obtained with an elevation angle of about 50. The lateral deviation during firing was 100-150 m .
At the end of 1935, projectiles with belt pallets of drawing 6125 were fired. The weight of the active projectile was 142 kg, and the weight of the pallet was 120 kg, the firing range was 97 270 m at an angle of +42. The average dispersion of four shots: lateral 55 m, longitudinal 935 m. Expected range at an angle of +50-110 km. The pallets fell at a distance of 3-5 km. A total of 47 rounds were fired with projectiles of the drawing 6125.
By that time, the conversion of the second 356-mm cannon into 368-mm was completed. During the tests of the 368-mm gun No. 2 in 1936 – early 1937, satisfactory results were obtained with the projectile of drawing 6314, and based on them, in March 1937, tables of firing from the 368-mm cannon with projectiles of drawing 6314 were compiled. The design of the projectile drawing 6314 weighed 254 kg, of which 112.1 kg accounted for the belt pallet, 140 kg for the active projectile. The length of the 220 mm active projectile is 5 calibers. 7 kg of TNT, a RGM fuse was used as an explosive.
When firing a full charge of 223 kg, the initial speed was 1390 m / s, and the range was 120.5 kg. Thus, the same range was obtained as that of the "Paris Cannon", but with a heavier projectile.
The main thing was that a conventional naval gun was used, and the survivability of the barrel was much greater than that of the Germans. 368-mm barrels were supposed to be installed on TM-1–14 railway transporters.
Nevertheless, at this stage, work with belt pallets was suspended, since preference was given to star pallets.
According to the resolution of the Council of Labor and Defense of October 10, 1935, No. C-142ss, the Barricades plant was given the task of developing working drawings and converting the 368-mm cannon No. 1 into a 305/180-mm cannon for firing sub-caliber shells with star-shaped pallets. The deadline was set – May 1937.
The final version of the project was carried out by the Artillery Research Institute under the direction of designer Mikhail Krupchatnikov with the assistance of military specialist, former Major General of the Imperial Army Yevgeny Berkalov. The caliber of the channel of the CEA gun was changed from 305/180-mm to 380/250-mm, and the number of rifling – from three to four.
The drawings were signed in Moscow on June 4, 1936, and received by the Barricades plant only in August 1936. At the end of the autumn of 1936, the forging of the inner tube was being annealed. The barrel of the 368-mm cannon No. 1 was delivered from the institute to the factory. However, the work was delayed, and a new deadline was set for the delivery of the trunk – February 1, 1938. According to the calculation, the TM-1–14 railway installation had to withstand the firing of a 380/250 mm cannon.
On January 17, 1938, the Artillery Department notified the Barricades plant of the suspension of work on the 380/250-mm barrel.
The very idea of creating ultra-long artillery in the Soviet Union was flawed. The circular probable deviation (CVO) of the projectile was tens or even hundreds of meters. And the high-explosive effect of ultra-long-range sub-caliber shells did not exceed the action of conventional 76-122-mm high-explosive shells.
German Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzer, disguised by the Ukrainian military of the 43rd Heavy Artillery Brigade in January 2023 near Soledar. Photo by Reuters
IN GERMANY
The Germans were doing a little better. So, the 21-cm ultra-long-range railway installation K12(E) as a prototype had the same famous "Paris Cannon". The length of its barrel was 159 calibers. The high-explosive projectile of the sample 35 weighing 107.5 kg had a muzzle velocity of 1625 m/ s and a range of 120 km. The Germans fired such shells across the English Channel at England.
By the beginning of the war, a smooth barrel and a feathered projectile were made for this gun. The weight of the feathered projectile is 140 kg, the initial speed is 1850 m / s, the range is about 250 km. The feathered projectile was tested, but the Germans did not have time to use it.
Another ultra-long-range railway installation 278-cm K5 (E) fired 28-cm shells with ready-made projections, which had 12 deep rifling (depth 6.75 mm). From such barrels, 28-cm Gr.35 grenades with a length of 1276/4.5 mm / klb and a weight of 255 kg were fired. The shells had 12 ready-made projections on the body. The projectile contained 29.3 kg of explosive. With a charge weighing 175 kg, the initial speed was 1130 m / s, and the range was 62.4 km.
To increase the firing range, Raketen-Granate 4341 active-rocket projectiles weighing 245 kg, 1220/4.3 mm/klb in length were created. The projectile contained 17 kg of explosive. The muzzle velocity of the projectile was 1120 m/s. After the projectile left the barrel, the jet engine turned on, running for 2 seconds. The average thrust force of the projectile is 2100 kg. The fuel in the engine was 19.5 kg of diglycol powder.
The firing range of the Raketen-Grenade 4341 projectile was 87 km, that is, the cannon could fire from Calais or Boulogne at a number of southern English cities. The disadvantage of the active-jet projectile was a relatively large dispersion: 2.2% in range, 1.8% laterally.
Work on this shot was started in 1941. Experimental firing was completed and the projectile was put into service in the summer of 1944. The ammunition set was 50% of normal K5(E) shots. In total, 200 shells were made: for testing – 200 pieces, for training – 30 pieces, for combat use – 600 pieces. The cost of all works amounted to about 800 thousand Reichsmarks.
But the range of 87 km was not the limit. A new barrel and an extra-long sub-caliber projectile were constructed at the rocket and artillery design bureau at the Pennemunde test site. The barrel had a smooth channel of 31 cm caliber . The length of the 31-cm Spreng-Granate 4861 high-explosive fragmentation projectile was 2012 mm, weight 136 kg. The projectile contained 25 kg of explosive. The diameter of the active projectile is 120 mm.
The projectile was equipped with a pallet with centering belts. After the projectile left the channel, the pallet was separated. In flight, the projectile was stabilized by four tail stabilizers. With a charge of 248 kg, the initial speed was 1420 m / s, and the maximum range was 160 km.
The production of seven smoothbore 31-cm guns was started, of which two were completed: one by Krupp, the other by Ganomag. Both guns fired at the British and Americans in the battles of Bonn.
The survivability of the first conical trunk was low. Changing barrels after several dozen shots was too expensive. Therefore, the German designers decided to replace the conical barrel with a cylindrical-conical one. The benefits were obvious. And with further tests, among other things, it turned out that the shells that initially passed such a cylindrical part are more stable in flight.
The weight of the nozzle was about a ton. The nozzle was simply screwed onto the standard barrel of the gun. During the firing, the survivability of the conical nozzle turned out to be about 150 shots – that is, higher than that of the Soviet 180-mm B-1 naval guns (with fine cuts). But the nozzle was significantly cheaper not only for the barrel, but even for the liner (a replaceable part of the gun barrel – a plug-in thin-walled pipe with screw rifling).
During the firing in July 1944, an initial speed of 1130 m/ s and a range of 50 km were obtained. At the same time, the scattering was 900 m in range, and the lateral one was 120 m.
The Germans had the same problems as the Soviet designers – huge dispersion and low explosive action. The cost of guns and shells was added to the cost of building shelters for railway installations and huge concrete casemates for stationary guns on the shores of the English Channel.
During the shooting across the Strait in 1940-1944, the Germans fired 2,226 shells at the Dover area. Damage to infrastructure and residential buildings turned out to be small. The losses of the British – about 200 soldiers and civilians.
IN NATO COUNTRIES
In the XXI century, 155-mm artillery shells were created in the United States and other NATO countries, corrected by GPS signal. Their QUO is 5-10 m. Western politicians and generals decided that the finest hour of ultra-long-range guns had come.
Among the land–based ultra-long-range projectiles, it is worth noting Leonardo Vulcano (or OTO Vulcano) - a family of high-precision feathered feathered high-explosive artillery shells developed and manufactured by OTO Melara (part of Leonardo) in cooperation with Diehl Defense and others.
Vulcano shots of 75 mm and 125 mm caliber are unitary, and 155 mm – with a modular charge. For 155-mm howitzers with a barrel length of 39 calibers, the charge has four modules, and 155/52-mm/klb has five modules. The declared range of shells from 155/52 mm howitzers is from 50 to 70 km.
Externally, the 155-mm Vulcano projectile looks like an anti-tank sub-caliber projectile. When fired, the shell of the projectile and the pallet of the coil type are dropped, and the projectile, similar to a rocket, with a rotary leading wing and a tail freely rotating stabilizer with a diameter of 155 mm flies to the target.
In other words, it is a sub-caliber projectile with an active projectile of 127 mm caliber. I did not find its length in Western sources, but I measured it from photographs – it turned out to be 5 calibers. There can be no other way: after all, the GLR projectile is designed for the standard German 155/52-mm self-propelled gun PzH 2000, and the barrel chamber was not drilled.
Further, I am struck by the officially announced explosive weight of 155 GLR – 5 kg!!! After all, most 152-mm caliber shells have 5-6 kg of explosives (explosives). How can there be 5 kg of explosives in an active 127-mm projectile, half clogged with electronics? According to my calculations, there is no more than 2 kg of explosive – that is, less than 122-mm caliber howitzer shells, which have a weight of 3.4–3.8 kg.
155 GLR projectiles can be equipped with semi-active homing heads. To do this, it is necessary to throw operators into the deep rear of the enemy, who will highlight targets from a distance of about 5 km. Or it should be done by a drone equipped with a laser installation.
IN UKRAINE
On August 17, 2022, the delivery of 255 pieces of 155 GLR is included in the package of assistance from Germany to Ukraine. And now, if you believe the reports of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), these shells are already being used in combat. By July 2022, the APU already had 18 155-mm PzH 2000 howitzers.
Of these, 155 GLR shells are going to be fired. I note that these shells are not yet in service with the Bundeswehr, that is, their military tests are planned in Ukraine. I undertake to assert in advance that the military tests of the 155 GLR will reveal a low efficiency/cost ratio.
Vulcano projectiles were designed in the "dodron era" (I am the first to introduce this term). By high–explosive action – and this is the main characteristic of a howitzer projectile - 155 GLR is worse than a conventional 152-mm caliber projectile and at the same time several times more expensive. I will not say that in the warehouses of the Russian Federation (as well as the PRC, the DPRK and other countries), 152-mm caliber shells are visible and invisible.
The accuracy of firing 152-mm caliber shells, including old ones, even from 1941-1945, is increased several times due to real-time correction from drones. Well, for shooting at a range of 70-120 km, the Russian Army has multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) Tornado-S and other complexes.
Drones of the Geran-2 type and others like them can hit targets at a range of both 70 and 300 km, and no less effectively than 155 GLR. The cost of "Geranium" is significantly less than 155 GLR.
Finally, the Mercury-2M electronic warfare (EW) complex and other complexes can detect the operating frequencies of the fuses and send a false signal to Vulcano, so that the projectile will explode long before reaching the target.
A completely different matter is the ship's 127–mm Vulcano projectile. In my opinion, it will be in demand on ships, although it will not become a superweapon either.
And finally, the question is political. The lads from the APU are unlikely to soon deal with such a complex technique as the 155 GLR. So German servicemen will come to Ukraine for military tests.
on the sea
In 2011-2017, three Zamvolt-class destroyers were laid down in the United States. "Zamvolt" entered service on October 16, 2016, and "Michael Mansour" – on January 26, 2019. A third destroyer of the same series is under construction.
They are destroyers only in name. The standard displacement of one ship is 14,564 tons, and the full one will last up to 18 thousand tons. I note that until 1939, the standard displacement of heavy cruisers worldwide should not have exceeded 10 thousand tons.
According to the Pentagon's plans, by 2025, the Zamvolt-type destroyers were supposed to be equipped with a pair of rail electromagnetic guns. Well, in the meantime, work on them has been suspended, and it was decided to install two 155-mm AGS artillery installations (English Advanced Gun System) on the destroyers.
The AGS unit was put into pilot production in 2010. The length of the barrel of the gun is 62 caliber. The barrel has a water cooling system. Loading separately-sleeve. For charging, the table is brought into an upright position. The elevation angle is +70, which allows you to fire at anti-aircraft targets.
Specially for AGS, an active-jet LRLAP projectile with a length of 2.24 m, that is, 11 calibers, was created. The length of the retractable wing is 450 mm. The weight of the projectile is 104 kg, of which the jet engine fuel accounts for 11 kg, that is, 7.27%. The KVO of the projectile, depending on the range, ranges from 20 to 50 m .
The firing range of the LRLAP projectile is 154 km . If necessary, the AGS installation can also fire a conventional 155-mm projectile, but the range is reduced to 40 km.
At the beginning of July 2013, four shots were fired from the firing range at a range of 83 km. All four projectiles captured the GPS signal and accurately hit the targets.
According to American admirals, the main drawback of LRLAP shells is the high cost. The production of one projectile costs 0.8–1.2 million dollars, and taking into account the operating costs, one shot of a projectile costs 2 million dollars. For comparison, the Tomahawk cruise missile costs the US Navy $ 1 million.
For this reason, the production of LRLAP shells was limited to a small batch of 100 pieces. In 2019, the issue of firing capabilities from the 155-mm AGS installation with standard marine 127-mm shells was considered.
conclusion
So, 105 years ago it turned out that guns can shoot at 100 km. However, so far, not a single gun and not a single projectile have given any satisfactory value of the efficiency/cost ratio. And with the advent of effective aerial drones of various types, the question arises about the feasibility of further work on the creation of ultra-long guns and projectiles.
Alexander Shirokorad
Alexander Borisovich Shirokorad is a writer and historian.