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2B1 Oka

1957 COLD WAR SELF-PROPELLED ARTILLERY X-TANK

2B1 Orca Story

The 2B1 "Oka" was a short-lived heavy self-propelled weapon system developed by the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. Such large-caliber artillery has proven to be the norm for decades and regained importance during the two world wars leading up to World War I and World War II.

The French, British, Americans and Germans were all interested in the prospect of large-caliber artillery, and while their tactical utility was severely limited, their simple presence often proved to be a psychological tool against the civilians they might be targeting.

The prototype of the 2B1 system was unveiled in 1957 at the legendary Kirov factory in St. Petersburg, Russia. The principle of operation of the 2B1 Oka is relatively simple - by its design, it fires a large high-explosive projectile at a target area deep in enemy territory, up to a distance of 45 kilometers. The 2B1 uses a massive 420mm gun mount mounted on a tracked hull. The gun mount is located in the center of the top of the fuselage.

Eight twin-tire road wheels dot the track, with each pair heavily bolstered to counteract weight and recoil. The drive sprocket is mounted on the front of the track system, the track idler is mounted on the rear, and at least four track idlers are used. Heavy recoil struts straddle the main gun at its base, and the rifle group will operate without providing cover - the 2B1 is essentially a rolling rifle stage, nothing more.

The smooth barrel system does not have a muzzle brake installed, this barrel system does not have any taper. A single V12 diesel engine delivers up to 700 hp.

On paper, their self-propelled nature would make them somewhat maneuverable, and their lethal range could prove devastating, but in reality they were too flawed in their design. The long barrel made simple transport of the vehicle very impractical, and the violent recoil of the weapon strained the frame, hull and track components to the limit - causing these systems to consistently fail during testing.

Even with the large 420mm projectile required, a crew of seven could not maintain an achievable sustained rate of fire at range. A single engine offsets the vehicle's 55-tonne weight and would severely limit it tactically - especially when trying to go off-road.

The end result was a war machine with more trouble than it was worth, causing it to cease in 1960.

Like the Americans, the Soviet Union chose to focus its funding and resources on developing new battlefield missiles that could perform the same tasks as the 2B1 Oka, while reaching distances beyond the reach of projectile systems. In any case, the 2B1 Oka became a novel attempt destined to go down in military history.