A series of articles on mortars would not be complete if we did not talk about one of the most famous products - the universal 120-mm Nona gun.
We will not repeat the reasons for the success of mortars as such. But one reason still needs to be voiced. It's simple. The mortar and, most importantly, the ammunition for it, is quite cheap to manufacture. Today, almost any state with a more or less developed industry can create such a weapon.
But only small and medium caliber mortars can be produced. The production of large calibers requires a sufficiently high industrial and scientific potential. At the same time, the experience of Soviet gunsmiths in creating especially large-caliber mortars (see the article "Capacitor and" Transformer ". Almost about mortars") showed that increasing the power of a mortar is possible only in increasing the power of ammunition.
Speaking about post-war developments, it is worth mentioning the difficulties faced by designers around the world.
First. Lack of materials that could withstand the enormous loads that a powerful mortar experiences when fired.
Second. Speaking of self-propelled mortars, the problem arose of a truly reliable chassis.
Even theoretically possible versions of such a product came across precisely the problem of lack of materials. Super-mortars, large-caliber and mobile at the same time, remained the target of many designers.
The solution was found. And again the French found him. Perhaps without even knowing it. In the early 60s, the French adopted the MO-RT-61 120-mm mortar.
It makes no sense to talk in detail about this mortar. But those, frankly speaking, revolutionary solutions that are there are worth considering.
First of all, the MO-RT-61 has a rifled barrel! And at the same time it retains muzzle loading. Something that was not in the artillery before. Mines for this mortar had factory cutting on the leading belt. In addition, a special charger with a powder charge was used in the new mortar, which flew out along with the mine.
It is clear that such a projectile was met with hostility in mortar units. Agree, inserting a mine with a groove on the belt is more difficult than just throwing it into the barrel. This greatly increased the time between shots and required sufficient care from the calculation.
In addition, the problem of a "re-stabilized projectile" arose. When fired at high elevation angles, the mines simply "did not have time to roll over." In fact, these mines fell with their "tail" down.
What is the main disadvantage of the "classic" mine? The answer is paradoxical - in the very mine! The very device of this projectile "discards for uselessness" part of the ammunition. Fuse in the head. The bulk of the explosives too. At the same time, the stabilizer and the adjacent part of the hull either do not produce fragments at all, or they are large, heavy and, giving the required number of fragments, at the same time affect the speed of the mine. In the direction of decreasing it.
Hence, when a mine is triggered, the main, most effective and high-speed fragments "go" into the ground. Simply put, a mine "actually works" about a third of its hull.
In a stabilized mine, with a factory cut, explosives are distributed more evenly and the number of high-speed fragments, according to the artillery specialists of the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering (TsNIITOCHMASH) in the city of Klimovsk, who tested the French mine, increases 1.5 times.
Moreover, our engineers have discovered what they have been looking for in large calibers without success. The power of a 120-mm rifled shell-mine in its combat properties was approximately equal to the power of a 152-mm mine!
Attentive readers have already noticed the "inaccuracy" of the authors. In the previous article, we mentioned the development of the Americans in the 20-30s of the last century - the XM70 Moritzer and the M98 Houtar (the names are derived from the combination of the words "mortar" and "howitzer": MORtar - howiTZER and HOWitzer - morTAR). In principle, these developments can be attributed to what surprised the French. However, the Americans abandoned the idea due to its futility.
But back to TSNIITOCHMASH. It was the test results in Klimovsk that forced the Main Missile and Artillery Directorate to start developing a new weapon there. A universal tool!
Here it is necessary to make a deviation from the topic of the article.
The 70s of the last century were years of active work on the creation of the USSR Airborne Forces. The legendary commander of the Airborne Forces V. F. Margelov actively pushed through a new method of conducting military operations using airborne units and formations. Moreover, according to the commander's idea, these were to be full-fledged units and formations capable of independently performing combat missions with a full range of weapons and equipment.
It was Margelov who saw the promise of a universal weapon for the Airborne Forces. And, in many ways, it was the commander of the Airborne Forces who "pushed" the development of this weapon in the amphibious version. By the way, these are not the only products for which V. Margelov became a "dad". There were also "Violet" (122-mm self-propelled howitzer) and "Lily of the valley" (120-mm self-propelled mortar).
122-mm divisional airborne self-propelled howitzer 2S2 "Violet" or object 924 was never adopted. One of the reasons was the high recoil of the 2A32 gun with the ballistics of the D-30 howitzer, which the modified BMD-1 chassis could not withstand.
Prototype self-propelled guns "Nona-D", built on the chassis 2S2 "Violet". The "Lily of the Valley" could have looked in a similar way …
"Lily of the valley" did not go into the series, the project was stopped at the development level. But the job was done, and for a reason.
In 1981, the Nona was put into service.
The appearance of this weapon in the airborne divisions caused a flurry of enthusiasm. Indeed, the maneuverable, on the BTR-D chassis, the vehicle for the paratroopers was "their own". Floats, does not lag behind the BMD on the track, light (8 tons in the first version). Turns the tower +/- 35 degrees (officially). But, it is worth disconnecting the hoses of the pneumatic system, in manual mode it turns the "head" all 360 degrees …
A weapon that can fire like a conventional cannon. Moreover, for armored targets and a cumulative projectile. True, going out to battle with tanks, for example, is like death for "Nona". Airborne gun. Well, landing armor … I mean, the bullet will not pierce.
A gun that is a howitzer! To put it simply, it shoots along a hinged "howitzer" trajectory with conventional and active-rocket projectiles.
A gun that is a mortar when fired on a "mortar" trajectory. Moreover, "Nona" - a real mortar, shoots mines of any production. By the way, this was one of Margelov's conditions. The landing party was to act behind enemy lines. Moreover, "Nona" - a mortar more accurate than most mortars of the same caliber. The breech of the gun "lengthens" the barrel.
"Nona-M" (2006)
Combat weight, t: 8, 8 (2S9-1M)
Landing weight, t: 8, 2
Crew, people: 4
Armor, mm: 16, aluminum
Engine power, HP: 240
Speed, km / h: 60
Speed afloat, km / h: 9
Cruising in store, km: 500
Armament: rifled, semi-automatic gun-howitzer-mortar 120-mm 2A51M
Ammunition, pcs: 40
when landing, pcs: 25
Fire opening time
unplanned target, min: 0, 5-0, 9
Inside, by the way, it is quite spacious. There is a certain expectation to see in the crew quite amphibious hulks, and not tankers.
The success of the Nona 2S9 self-propelled gun accelerated the development of a towed version of the gun.
The variant is almost identical to "None-S", but with a different name. 2B16 "Nona-K".
Attentive readers immediately noticed some discrepancy in the title. domestic towed guns have the letter "B" in the designation. And then "K". The towed version of the "Nona" was put into service in 1986.
We have been looking for an explanation of the word "Nona" for a long time. There are many options, but there is no 100% answer. Most likely, the name was chosen "for reasons of secrecy." But this is just our opinion. As well as the fact that the classic designation of the gun "Nona-B" would sound interesting enough for our army jokes.
Moreover, "Nona" went into the infantry. The ground forces, taking into account the specifics of their own armored vehicles, ordered the version of "Nona" for themselves. The cannon-howitzer-mortar "moved" from the BTR-D to the BTR-80. In this version, it is called 2S23 "Nona-SVK". Accordingly, she changed her status. A battalion self-propelled artillery gun. It was put into service in 1991.
There is also a towed version of the 2S23 Nona. This weapon can already be seen today in … the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Lightweight, with the ability to transport by helicopter, the gun is successfully used in the mountains and when extinguishing fires in the taiga. 2S23 "Nonu-M1" is also used to eliminate ice jams on rivers.
In general, if we talk about universal tools, "Nona" should have been called "Eve". Great tool, but first. Parent (if she bears a female name). And the "baby" already has. Daughter.
True, the name "daughter" is not quite traditional - "Vienna". Full name - self-propelled artillery 120-mm gun 2S31 "Vienna". The gun has been in operation since 2010.
The fundamental difference from "Nona" for this weapon is automation. There is a computer on board that controls the entire complex. In practice, the CAO works in automatic mode. From receiving a command via telecode channels to an automatic weapon on target. In addition, the complex automatically controls the guidance after the shot.
Also in 2C31 there are a number of systems that help the crew in their work. These are the top-reference systems of the guns, reconnaissance and target designation systems, a laser rangefinder for automatically determining the distance to the target. At the same time, the possibility of manual control is fully preserved.
The gun is now located on the BMP-3 chassis. This made it possible not only to increase the ammunition load up to 70 rounds, but also to create a mechanism for quickly damping body vibrations after a shot. This, in turn, allows you to fire several shots without changing the sight.
Combat weight, t: 19, 8
Crew, people: 4
Armament: 2A80 cannon, PKTM machine gun
Ammunition, pcs: 70
Engine power, HP: 450
Speed, km / h: 70
afloat: 10
Cruising in store, km: 600
The airborne troops decided to follow the path already mastered by motorized riflemen. And, according to rumors, the paratroopers are demanding a "Vienna" in the "Swage" version. Only in contrast to the ground version, the Airborne Forces want to "transplant" the "Vienna" to the BMD-3. So we are waiting for the birthday.
The potential of universal weapons is just being revealed. The future of this weapon is bright. Especially when you consider the latest developments in ammunition for such weapons …
P. S. Jet mortars are on the way!
