The self-propelled anti-tank gun for airborne purposes was built on the original chassis, designed at OKB-40. Tests at the ASU-57 range are held in April 49. In June of the same year, the vehicle undergoes military trials. The ASU-57 series was launched in 51. The weapons for the Ch-51 and Ch-51M installations were manufactured by Plant No. 106, the chassis was assembled at MMZ, at the same plant the complete assembly of the ASU-57 self-propelled gun was carried out.
The end of WW2 was marked by the creation of new models of various weapons and equipment for all branches of the armed forces, including the Airborne Forces. Earlier, when building equipment for airborne landing, attention was paid to lightweight tanks. There is a known attempt by the British to deviate from this principle and create a semi-enclosed self-propelled installation "Alecto" with a 57 mm gun on the chassis of a lightweight tank. The British did not implement the project. For airborne units, after landing to their destination, the greatest danger is mechanized and tank units. In the Soviet Union, in this area, designers focused on creating an anti-tank automated control system. The military department does not completely abandon the idea of a tank for the airborne troops, but the ACS has become one of the main types of armored equipment of the Airborne Forces for a long time. Lightweight and maneuverable ACS, increased the mobility of amphibious units, while performing the functions of transport for moving personnel.
October 46 The designers of the Gorky plant # 92 began to develop a 76 mm caliber gun, the designers of the Mytishchi plant # 40 began the development of an original chassis for the airborne installation project. March 47. A sketch of the original chassis called "Object 570" is ready. November 47. The first prototypes of the LS-76S guns are ready. The cannons are transferred to the plant in Mytishchi, where they are equipped with ready-made chassis. In December of the same year, the first self-propelled gun is ready for testing. The beginning of the 48th year. The self-propelled gun began to undergo factory tests. By the middle of the year, the prototype entered a series of field tests. By the end of the year, a sample of the LB-76S gun gets the name D-56S and is ready for serial production. Mid 49 Four experienced airborne self-propelled guns undergo wax tests in the 38th Airborne Corps. On December 17, 49, by a decree of the USSR Council of Ministers, the ACS was put into service under the name ASU-76. This is the first armored vehicle that entered the USSR Armed Forces specifically for the Airborne Forces.
Design work on the creation of a light and maneuverable self-propelled gun with a 57 mm cannon was carried out in parallel with the self-propelled gun with a 76 mm cannon. 48 years old. A project is being developed for a self-propelled unit with an automatic gun 113P of 57 mm caliber. The 113P gun was originally planned to be installed on a fighter plane, but the Yak-9-57 does not pass factory tests. A self-propelled gun weighing less than 3200 kilograms was proposed and a team of two people. But this ACS could not provide the required aimed fire. The next project in 49 was proposed at VRZ # 2 - K-73. Main characteristics:
- weight 3.4 tons;
- height 140 centimeters;
- armament: gun Ch-51 caliber 57 mm and machine guns SG-43 caliber 7.62 mm;
- ammunition: 30 ammunition for the gun, 400 ammunition for machine guns;
- armor protection 6 mm;
- engine of the carburetor type GAZ-51, 70 hp;
- travel speed up to 54 km / h;
- travel speed on water up to 8 km / h.
This self-propelled gun could not compete with the ASU-57 due to its cross-country ability. A sample of the self-propelled gun ASU-57 called "Object 572" with a 57 mm "Ch-51" cannon was created in '48. Assembled "object 572" at the plant number 40. The model passed field and military tests in 49, and the ASU-57 went into mass production in 51. For the first time, it was openly possible to see the ASU-57 at the parade on May 1, 57.
Self-propelled device ASU-57
The body structure is a box made of welded and riveted panels. The nose part consists of two armor plates welded to the sides of the hull. The lower armor plate is attached to the front of the bottom. The hull sides, made as vertical armored plates, are connected by welding with suspension niches and side walls, and frontal shields. The bottom of the car is made of duralumin sheet riveted to the frontal armor plates and recesses in the suspensions. Fighting compartment protection - folding frontal and side plates. A duralumin sheet mounted at the stern is riveted to the sides and bottom of the hull. From above, the car is covered with a tarpaulin awning. The MTO is located in the front of the car, in the stern they placed a cannon, ammunition, observation devices, sights, a radio station. There are also places for the SPG commander and the driver-mechanic. At the same time, the commander performed all the duties of a loader, gunner and radio operator. The fighting compartment, where the 57 mm Ch-51 gun was located, turned out to be rather cramped. The barrel of a monoblock type gun was equipped with an ejector and a muzzle brake. Also, the gun was equipped with a clip-on vertical shutter, mechanical semiautomatic devices and a trough-type cradle. In front of the cradle there is a tube, which houses a hydraulic recoil brake and a knurler. Behind the cradle were placed guides for gripping the trunk. The cradle and the swinging part of the implement are made on the frame. The lifting mechanism is of the sector type. Vertical angles from 12 to -5 degrees. The rotary screw-type mechanism made it possible to aim the gun horizontally from 8 to - 8 degrees. When firing a shot from a closed position, a panorama was used, when firing a shot from an open position, an OP2-50 optical sight was used. The average rate of fire was 10 rds / min. Gun ammunition - 30 unitary ammunition. Used ammunition: armor-piercing tracer, armor-piercing tracer with armor-piercing up to 10 centimeters, high-explosive fragmentation with a range of up to 6 kilometers. In 55, work began on the modernization of the gun. The upgraded gun is named Ch-51M. The gun received a slotted muzzle brake. The opening of the shutter and the ejection of the liner began to be carried out at the end of the reel stroke. The swing mechanism received a braking device.
The MTO of the machine is equipped with a 4-cylinder liquid-cooled engine M-20E. The designers assembled it into a single block, which was placed on 4 elastic supports in the MTO, gearbox, engine, side clutches. Individual torsion bar suspension with hydraulic shock absorbers is located on the front nodes. Each side has 4 road wheels clad in rubber and 2 supporting rollers. The last roller of the support type serves as a guide, for this it is provided with a screw tensioning mechanism. Caterpillars are metal, with a fine-link connection. And, although the caterpillar turned out to be rather narrow, the specific pressure of the self-propelled gun was extremely low, which allowed the automated control system to calmly pass through both deep snow and swamp areas. For external communication in the ASU-57, a 10RT-12 radio station was used. Tank-type negotiators were used for intercom.
BTA aircraft were used to transport the self-propelled gun. The main carrier was the Yak-14, from which the ASU-57 was parachuted. The self-propelled team landed with airborne units separately from the vehicle itself. To keep the machine stationary inside the aircraft, a special device was used, which was attached to the suspension assemblies on the ACS. In 59, the Soviet Union adopted the An-12 transport aircraft. This significantly increased the capabilities of the airborne units during the landing. Now the units with their equipment were confidently accommodated in the same aircraft. The An-12 series aircraft were equipped with TG-12 roller conveyors. For the production of ASU-57 landing, specially designed parachute-type platforms were used. The platforms were equipped with MKS-5-128R and MKS-4-127 multi-dome parachute systems. The platforms were named PP-128-500, and a little later they used the P-7 platform. One An-12B aircraft could accommodate two SPGs. The total weight of the ASU-57 on the PP-128-500 is 5.16 tons. The self-propelled gun could also be transported by a heavy helicopter released in 59 - the Mi-6.
Modifications of ASU-57
54 years old. A modification of the ASU-57 - ASU-57P appears. The self-propelled gun of the floating type was provided with a sealed hull and an upgraded cannon. The gun received an active muzzle brake, MTO - a boosted engine. The water propulsion unit was taken from a light tank - 2 propeller-type propellers driven by guide rollers. However, the ASU-57P self-propelled gun does not enter serial production, most likely due to the successful development of a new self-propelled gun for airborne forces - ASU-85.
Self-propelled unit operation
The self-propelled gun ASU-57 was a regular participant in the exercises of the Airborne Forces. Participated in exercises with the real use of nuclear weapons. In addition to the Soviet Union, they were operated in Egypt, China and Poland. It was the tests of the ASU-57 that gave the figure of 20g as the ultimate load for the dropped equipment. The figure has become GOST for the creation of new technology.
Main characteristics:
- weight 3.35 tons;
- car team 3 people;
- the length of the gun is 5 meters;
- width 2 meters;
- height 1.5 meters;
- clearance of 30 centimeters;
- type of tool - rifled;
- travel speed up to 45 km / h;
- cruising range up to 250 kilometers.
