Artillery guns, unlike, for example, airplanes, are rarely given names, content with an alphanumeric index. The exception is a few samples, among which - the MT-12 anti-tank gun. "Rapier" - so it is respectfully called in the army. She really is somewhat reminiscent of this stabbing cold weapon. A long barrel, an elegant protective shield covering, resembling a guard (small, but very rational), the accuracy of the “ink” - all these qualities would have completely pleased the duelists of past centuries. Today's gunners are preparing for fights of a different kind. The gun, despite the age calculated in decades, is still in service. It is not out of date.
Anti-tank gun class
Until the thirties of the last century, special cannons were not created to combat armored vehicles. This did not make sense: the tanks of the first two decades of the 20th century were either clumsy heavy engines, or lightly armored semi-tractors, semi-cars. Most often they could be disabled without any problems using conventional means of close combat. The war in Spain (1936) became that temporary boundary, after which theorists and practitioners of tactical science began to realize the importance of tank formations in modern armed conflicts. As always, ideas arose about how to neutralize the threat to defense from maneuverable armored forces. Coverage from the flanks, leading to the environment, could arise in unpredictable areas of land theaters of war, and therefore, the requirements for a new class of guns consisted of maximum mobility and compactness. The famous front-line “Magpie” coped with all types of German tanks at the beginning of the war. During the fighting, the armor of enemy equipment grew. To pierce it, 45 mm was already not enough, at first they needed 75-caliber shells and 85 millimeters of venture. By the end of the 60s, this figure had grown to 100 mm. The Rapira anti-tank gun was designed to fight the West German Leopards and the American M-60.
Competition of guns and ATGMs
By the end of the sixth decade, the ground forces of industrialized countries had at their disposal a new anti-tank weapon - ATGMs. In essence, guided missiles were missiles with controls in the form of rotary wings. Their guidance is carried out either through the radio channel, or (to avoid interference) through a long thin cable unwinding from the reel and dragging behind. It seemed that now artillery once again lost ground in front of the inexorably impending scientific and technological progress. However, military budgets are also not bottomless, and ATGMs are expensive. Then the military experts again turned to the old "good" guns and, to their displeasure, found a clear contradiction. The required accuracy was provided by rifled barrels, but they, alas, had caliber limitations. And suddenly this problem was solved as a result of the revolutionary approach of the creators of the MT-12 Rapier gun.
Projectile with stabilizers
The idea was to give the projectile stability in flight exclusively in a "rocket" way. Its design included stabilizers that open after exiting the muzzle of the barrel. Thus, a non-rotating artillery shell could provide accuracy not worse than fired from a rifled canal. The advantages of the new ammunition were not limited to this: the strength of the cumulative impact was enhanced. In addition, at the Yurginsky machine-building plant they did not begin to oppose different methods of defeating armored vehicles. The Rapira anti-tank gun can also fire missiles launched from the barrel, this requires additional equipment that is not difficult to install in the field.
Mobility and maneuver
The designers tried to solve the problems of the quick delivery of anti-tank artillery to the front of the line, which is under threat of a breakthrough, in various ways, including installing a motorcycle engine on a carriage.
The 100-mm anti-tank gun T-12, created by the Design Bureau of the Yurginsky Machine Plant under the leadership of L.V. Korneev and V. Ya. Afanasyev, is mounted on a uniaxial trolley with wheels from ZiL-150, the carriage has a torsion bar suspension with an increased spring suspension. The simplified design dispensed with hydraulics, the MT-12 Rapier gun in the transport position was resistant to vibration and shaking.
An MT-L tractor unit or an armored MT-LB tractor is attached to the cannon, inside which a calculation consisting of at least four (maximum - six) people is relatively safe. Towing can be done at speeds up to 60 km / h with a range of 500 km. On the march, guidance mechanisms, in order to avoid pollution, are wrapped in a canvas cover.
In firing position
One of the main requirements for anti-tank weapons - maneuverability - was observed. The weight of the gun is about three tons, which is well within the standards for suitability for airmobile delivery. The silhouette turned out to be squat, which complicates the visual detection of the firing point by the enemy.
The MT-12 Rapira barrel (long, 61 gauge), together with the breech, clip and muzzle brake, makes up a single unit. The simplicity of the design guarantees a quick transfer to the combat position after disengaging from the tractor, for this it is enough to spread the bed, lower the lower wing of the armor plate and set the scope. The shells are fed manually, they are heavy (about 80 kg). Before opening fire, the shutter opens manually, then, after ejection of the first sleeve, this operation takes place automatically.
The descent is made either by pressing the handle, or by means of a cable fixed on it.
Sights
The kit includes a full-time panoramic optical sight OP4M-40U. An anti-glare filter is used to fire against the sun. The APN-6-40 can be used as additional guidance tools for night vision, and when firing in extremely difficult weather conditions (fog, heavy snow, rain) and in the absence of direct visibility, a radar device is installed on a special bracket. In addition, it is possible to adjust fire for hidden purposes, according to information received from external sources. The Rapira anti-tank gun can also fire missiles (after installing special laser guidance equipment on it).
Shells
Depending on the nature of the target, ammunition of three main types is used. For the fight against tanks, sub-caliber specimens are used. If the target has an increased level of protection, it makes sense to fire cumulative-fragmentation ammunition, characterized by the greatest armor piercing. High-explosive fragmentation shells are designed to combat manpower and suppress engineering firing points. For artillery ammunition, the effective direct fire range is 1880 meters. The maximum range of the projectile is over 8 km.
Guided missiles, which can also fire MT-12 Rapira anti-tank guns, accurately hit targets that are four kilometers away.
Application and disadvantages
Not a single weapon model is complete without flaws. The gun is characterized by a high degree of versatility. This is facilitated by the high initial velocity of the projectile (more than one and a half kilometers per second), a large mass of ammunition, a possible elevation angle of 20 degrees, rate of fire (shot every 10 seconds) and many other advantages. At present, one and a half dozen states are armed with MT-12 Rapira guns. A photo of the gun’s characteristic silhouette accompanies reports from conflict zones, both remote from Russian borders and very close. However, some operators have already managed to abandon its use. The reason for this was physical deterioration without the possibility of full recovery, and a design flaw of a very successful muzzle brake in many respects. The fact is that when fired, it significantly compensates for the recoil, but at the same time it unmasks the position with a bright flash of hot powder gases escaping from the holes at the end of the barrel. More than two and a half thousand MT-12 Rapier cannons are in service with the Russian Army, most of which are mothballed.