122mm D-74

History

Even before the last shot of World War II (1939-1945), the Soviet Army set its sights on a future "Cold War" and started several projects to modernize its combat capabilities. Shortly after the war, two new designs of field guns appeared, a 122mm caliber and a 130mm caliber.

The former was named "D-74", while the latter became the legendary "M-46".

The production of the D-74 began in 1955 and was publicly introduced that same year. Its design is attributed to F. F. Petrov, who brought extensive wartime experience to the project.

Over time, the D-74 was standardized in the Soviet Army and later adopted by other armed forces around the world that were loyal to the Soviet Union at the time - including Cambodia, Angola, China, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, Syria, North Korea and Zimbabwe.

The heart of the gun is the conventional gun, consisting of a two-wheeled rubber tire frame unit (which is also shared with the 152mm caliber D-20 series guns) and contains the pitch and lateral functions as well as the barrel itself. A horizontal sliding wedge is used on the chamber to gain access to the chamber.

Elevation is limited to +45/-5 degrees and passes 45 degrees from the centerline. An optional thin gun shield provides limited protection for rifle groups of seven to nine people.

The total weight of the entire combat system is 12,400 pounds, and it measures 30 feet long and 7.8 feet wide. With its wheeled stand and trailing arm, the gun can be easily transported behind a transport vehicle and can be pulled/pushed over short distances by riflemen.

Well-trained crews can sustain 8 to 10 rounds per minute. Direct line of sight fire has a range of 1,180 yards. The weapon also has an inherent indirect fire capability, allowing it to reach target areas up to 15 miles away, albeit with reduced accuracy.

The D-74 performed quite a bit of combat service as a front-line weapon at the time. From exposure to the Vietnam War (1955-1975) to various Asian entanglements thereafter. The series was also used in the Sino-Indian War (1962) and the Indo-Pakistani War (1965).

Other battlefields include the South African Border War (1966-1990), the Yom Kippur War (1973) and the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990).

While the 122mm caliber projectile was still kept in stockpiles by the armies of Egypt, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, it eventually fell out of favor with the modern powers. Because of this, the 130mm M-46 series guns have had a longer and more illustrious service life.

122mm D-74 size

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

Depends on the ammo supply vehicle.

Changes