2S38 Derivatsiya-PVO 57-mm SPAAG

Russia Brings Back the Good Ole 57 Caliber Gun

The long-forgotten 57 mm caliber guns are being given a new lease on life in the Russian armed forces with a new such cannon raising admiring eyebrows everywhere.

Originally designed for use on small ships, the AU-220M 57 mm automatic gun was later adapted for land use. The result – a truly magic gun, which is bound to be the biggest attraction grabber at this year’s Russian Arms Expo in Nizhny Tagil.
With a rate of fire of 300 rounds per minute and a horizontal range of 16 kilometers this gun is an ideal weapon against all types of aircraft and armored vehicles, including tanks.
Well, a 57 mm projectile will hardly cut through the 1 meter-thick front armor of an Abrams or Leopard tank, but a hail of high-explosive projectiles will surely wipe out optics, aerials, smash caterpillar tracks and jam the turret.
In addition to its high rate of fire, the heavy 57 mm gun module which boats an uninhabited turret, active protection and an excellent Russian-designed fire control system, performs easy 180 degree turns while ensuring highly accurate fire.
Also featured at the Nizhny Tagil expo will be a new version of the BMP-3 armored vehicle sporting a 57 mm gun combat module.

57x348SR 57mm Russian S-60 AAA

This gun, the M1950, was introduced in the late 50s and is basically referred to as S-60 anti aircraft gun.
It is a medium range recoil operated cannon and replaced the earlier 37mm AA weapons almoust throughout the Warsaw Pact.
Considering the design of the gun, Soviet engineers must have studied the wartime German "5,5cm Geraet 58" AAA. The weight of the S-60 was 4,6 tons and it had a 4160mm long barrel with destinctive muzzle break and downfoldable shield. The S-60 gun is fixed to a four wheel carriage and it was also used against light armored ground vehicles in the ground support role. A S-60 battery generally consists of six guns, a fire-control radar, and a fire-control director. The earliest versions had a PUAZO-5 fire-control director and a SON-4 radar, however, improved director/radar combinations were used in subsequent years.
The ammunition is fed in 4-round clips into the gun, the rate of fire was 105 to 120rpm, range was 6000m with radar guidance, 4000m with optical sights.
China also built its version of the S-60 and called it Type 59 anti aircraft gun.

A self propelled version of the Russian gun, the ZSU-57-2 had a double barrel cannon designated S-68 mounted on a modified T-54 fuselage. It was introduced in 1957 and has basically the same characteristics as its single barrel brother, however, the ZSU-57-2 was not radar guided. The self propelled AA gun had 316 rounds of ammunition storage on board and is now considered as obsolete and was replaced by SAM systems arround 1980. China called its self propelled guns Type 80.

The AK-725 AA gun was the Naval version of the S-60 gun and was introduced in 1958. It was mounted in  single, double and quadruple mounts designated ZIF-31on many early destroyers.
Elevation was 0/+90°, the mount could be turnt 360° around.
The ZIF-72 Naval AA gun was enclosed in a metal housing and fully automatic. It was a double barrel mount with water cooled barrels, it was also exported to India. The ZIF-72 was introduced in mid 1970 and was also a recoil operated weapon but ammunition was fed in belts, its overall weigth is 25 tons. Elevation was -10/+90°, the mount could be turnt 360° around.

The S-60 type of guns were widely used in all RFAS states, it also was the main small AA gun of the North Vietnamese army.  They may still be in use in the former Yugoslavia and the Middle East.

The HE-T shells have a blunt ogive shape and a long burning (about 12 sec.) No. 8 tracer element. A single large gilding metal driving band is fitted that has pronounced grooves. Cartridge cases are brass, silicon-brass or steel, those made of silicon-brass have the letter "K" imprinted in the headstamp.
The UOR-281U high explosive fragmentation shell is filled with 154g A-IX-2 high explosive and has a MG-57 or MG3-57 delay self-destruction fuze and a tracer base screw fitted. It is lacquered olive drab with black lettering. The UBR-281U is a steel shot with a breaker cap and a ballistic windshield cap, the base is filled with 13g
A-IX-2 high explosive and has a MD-10 delay base fuze with tracer No. 2 fitted. It is lacquered dark gray and has black lettering. The AP shells may not be used against airborne targets, only on light and medium armored tanks and are effective only up to 1500m. Rounds UOR-281 and UBR-281 (without letter U) have the same shell, but have a thinner case mouth and shallower swage grooves.
The UBR-281 shell may also only have one swage groove and the UOR-281 shell may only be swaged with the above swage groove to the cartridge case.

The UOR-281U-IN is basically the same as the UOR-281U but filled inert and with a dummy fuze. This practice shell is painted black above the bourrelet and gray below and has white lettering and the word "INERT" painted on in Russian.
The UBR-281U-IN is basically the same as the UBR-281U but filled inert and with a dummy fuze. This practice shell is painted black above the bourrelet and gray below and has white lettering and the word "INERT" painted on in Russian.
All cartridges above have a propellant charge of 1180g of 11/7 smokeless powder and a KV-5 or KV-5-U percussion primer screw, maximum chamber pressure is 3100 kp/cm².
If a shell is stuck in the barrel, a shortened cartridge case may be used to shoot the barrel free. The mouth of an empty cartridge case is cut by 30 to 35mm and loaded with 75% of the standard propellant charge which is fixed by a piece of cardboard.
The MK-281 blank round has a charge of 560g of 4/1 blank-cartridge-powder.
A proove cartridge with water filled substitute projectile is used as well.
Inert drill rounds are used as well, the inert shell is fixed with a steel rod to the base of the cartridge case. The round has the same appearance and weight as life rounds but is lettered for identification.

5 rounds are packed in a gray-green lacquered wooden box that measures 650x580x210mm and weights 49kg. Ammunition is/was manufactured by Bulgaria, China, former Czech Republic, Egypt, Yugoslavia, Poland and Russia. Early Russian cases and newer Polish cases can be made of steel as well, cases of Silicon-brass were used as well.

Ammunition used in these guns:

USSR Designation US Abbreviation Bullet Weight [g] Muzzle Velocity [m/s] Description
UOR-281 HE-T
2850

1000
Fragmentation shell
UOR-281U HE-T 2850 1000 Fragmentation shell
UBR-281 APHE-T
2820

1000
With ballistic cap, high explosive charge in base, base fuze with tracer
UBR-281U APHE-T 2820 1000 With ballistic cap, high explosive charge in base, base fuze with tracer
UOR-281U-IN TP-T
2850

1000
Inert filled practice shell, like HET
UBR-281U-IN TP-T
2820

1000
Inert filled practice shell, like APHET
MK-281 Blank
/

/
Truncated cartridge case

GarryB wrote:The KS-19 and the KS-21 were always designed as anti aircraft weapons (100mm and 130mm guns) and had radar support. They were made obsolete fairly quickly as missiles became more reliable and came down in cost.

The 57mm gun is being revived in Russia not for anti aircraft purposes, the main reason is because full calibre tank gun missiles are more expensive per round than dumb rounds and 30mm cannons just wont penetrate IFV armour at battlefield ranges any more.

The 57mm calibre with APFSDS rounds should be able to penetrate any Bradley or Warrior at 2km fairly easily... its added advantage of having a calibre large enough to allow guided shells for AA use is a bonus.

regarding anti aircraft guns of large calibre we can blame the italians for that... with their 76mm gun vehicle in the 1980s.

GarryB wrote:As you likely already know fully well large calibre AAGs are made obsolete by modern missile technology.

These large calibre guns... even with radar guidance and auto loading would have to fire thousands of rounds and even then may not hit anything.

In comparison a medium range missile might get a kill every 10-15 launches for older missiles and much better performance with newer systems.

The Osa replaced the 57mm guns because anti aircraft performance of the 57mm guns required very skilled operators and large numbers of guns and lots of ammo to be effective.

The main reason the 57mm gun is being looked at is because guided shells make it more effective.

The 37mm guns of WWII were replaced by more powerful 57mm guns in the hope that they would be effective over greater ranges. It was found the low rate of fire reduced hit probability, so it was replaced by 23mm cannon and even 14.5mm HMG which had much shorter range but higher hit probability.

As we know these systems were powerful and effective but with helicopters being introduced with standoff ATGMs the 30mm cannon was introduced along with missiles to compliment them... high rate of fire but heavier shell with better range.

The 57mm round was being revisited as a replacement for the main gun in the PT-76 and guided shells were looked at. Guided shells made their use against point targets at extended range possible and the larger calibre allowed for better armour penetration for enemy light vehicles.

There was already a programme to develop a replacement for the 30mm cannon shell used in all Russian armed forces branches (Air Force, Army, Navy) and it was either a 45mm or a 57mm calibre weapon... This was revealed in the early 1990s when the Il-102 alternative to the Su-25 was revealed and it was mentioned it would have had a 45mm or 57mm belly mounted anti armour gun.

If they can get the system to work efficiently I suspect the new standard IFV gun will be a 57mm gun or a 45mm gun and their might not need to be a separate anti aircraft "gun" vehicle as the standard IFVs will almost certainly be able to engage aircraft effectively. Modern BMP-3M fire control systems reportedly have an autotracker to allow aircraft to be effectively engaged... I suspect that will continue...

Likely the first implementation of 57mm anti aircraft guns will be on Russian Navy corvettes.  Possibly then being used on the replacement for the Su-25....

George1 wrote:Russia is developing new antiaircraft artillery system — defense ministry

The antiaircraft artillery system with a 57 mm gun is to replece the Tunguska and Shilka air defense systems

MOSCOW, December 24. /TASS/. Russia is developing a new antiaircraft artillery system with a 57 mm gun, Air Defense Troop Commander, Lieutenant-General Alexander Leonov said on Thursday.
"A promising antiaircraft artillery system with a 57 mm gun is under development to replace our Tunguska and Shilka complexes," Leonov said in a live broadcast of Rossiya-24 TV Channel.
The Shilka is a Soviet-made self-propelled antiaircraft system armed with a quadruple 23 mm gun designed to provide cover for ground forces, destroy air targets at ranges of up to 2,500 meters and altitudes of up to 1,500 meters flying at a speed of 450 meters per second.
The Tunguska missile and gun system is designed to detect, identify, track and destroy various types of air targets (helicopters, tactical aviation planes, cruise missiles and drones) and also to destroy surface and ground targets.

More:
http://tass.ru/en/defense/846745

higurashihougi wrote:Is 57mm gun overkill for AA role ?

max steel wrote:Russia to Replace 2 Anti-Aircraft Artillery With New 57 Caliber Systems

Commander of the Russian Land Force’s air defense stated that Russia is developing a new 57 caliber anti-aircraft weapon system to replace two existing systems. Russia is developing a new 57 caliber anti-aircraft weapon system to replace two existing systems, the commander of the Russian Land Force’s air defense said. "A promising new anti-aircraft artillery system with a caliber of 57 mm is being developed to replace ‘Tunguska’ and ‘Shilka’ systems," Lt. Gen. Alexander Leonov told reporters late Thursday. The ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" is an all-weather lightly armored self-propelled and radar guided anti-aircraft weapon system that has been in service since 1962 The tracked 2K22 "Tunguska" self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon armed with a surface-to-air gun and missile system began serial production in 1964 and entered into service in 1982.Russia is undergoing a $325-billion rearmament program to modernize 70 percent of its equipment by 2020.


Maybe like former ZU-57, but with radar, optical and infrared devices and modern full automatic guns?

The first prototype of a self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery complex "Derivation-defense" will create in 2017, RIA Novosti reported with reference to the general director of the Central Scientific Research Institute "Petrel" George Zakamenny.

According Zakamenny, currently carried out development work on the creation of the complex of caliber 57 mm for the air defense forces, and next year it is planned to build the first prototype.

"Derivation-defense" - promising rapid-propelled anti-aircraft artillery system being developed based on the experience in the field of guided artillery shells, tank shoots from a barrel, and anti-aircraft missiles of short-range. The complex will be equipped with special anti-aircraft missile, which is being built under the scheme guided artillery projectile launched from a rifled barrel gun and is induced by a laser beam. Range - from 200 meters up to six to eight kilometers.

Photo: CRI Burevestnik

Last night, in a festive atmosphere with the participation of President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev was presented the product of teamwork Corporation "Uralvagonzavod" and the company "Kazakhstan Engineering Paramount": an armored personnel carrier "Barys" (8x8) integrated into it a 57-mm automatic gun mount au- 220M from Uralvagonzavod.

Range 12 km, the rate - 120 rounds per minute. However, it can rotate 360 ​​degrees in azimuth and from -5 to 75 degrees vertically.

Basic installation characteristics: range up to
Today in the world there is no APCs and IFVs can withstand AU-220M shot.


Yesterday saw the car President and VIP guests, and today it will see everything. It has become the central and most important exhibit of the show!
Army Leaders of Kazakhstan has already announced that the car will go into service before the end of 2016!

Alex Zharich



The main event KADEX-2016 was the premiere presentation of the joint project of "Research and Production Corporation" Uralvagonzavod "and LLP" Kazakhstan Paramount Engineering "- APC« Barys ». The Director-General Oleg Siyenko Corporation took part in the solemn presentation of the machine to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev. He told the head of the republic of a unique 57-mm AU-220M automatic artillery installation of production of JSC "Central Research Institute" Petrel "(part of the corporation" Uralvagonzavod "), which is integrated in the Kazakh chassis with the wheel formula 8x8.


Desert combat module is designed as a remote-controlled combat system of circular rotation. It is designed for advanced weaponry and upgraded armored vehicles to increase the firepower of infantry and mechanized infantry units. The power of 57-mm ammunition guns allows to hit the battlefield most of the existing armored targets. Today in the world there is no APCs and infantry fighting vehicles, capable of withstanding AU-220M shot.


Basic installation characteristics: range up to 12 km, the rate of fire - 120 rounds per minute. However, it can rotate 360 ​​degrees in azimuth and from -5 to 75 degrees vertically.


According to the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan Okas Saparova, already in 2016 the first batch developed in conjunction with the corporation Uralvagonzavod APCs "Barys" will be sent to the armed forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Sergei Suvorov photos
In addition, on the first day of the exhibition stand of the corporation