Russian military forces continue to use Soviet M-46 guns despite the development of new long-range artillery systems. Izvestia explained why these nearly 80-year-old weapons have not lost their relevance even today.
Today, guns developed in the 1950s mainly operate with targeting adjustments from reconnaissance drones. The shells of the 130-mm guns effectively destroy even well-fortified strongpoints.
All because they still remain among the longest-range means of destruction in their class. This is one of the reasons why the M-46 is in demand today.
For the military, artillery mobility has receded into the background, while range has become one of the most important parameters.
Let us recall that production of the M-46 began back in 1951. The towed gun, with a barrel length of more than 7 m, is capable of striking targets with rocket-assisted projectiles at a range of about 37 km.
One of the newest developments in long-range artillery in Russia is the 2S43 "Malva" self-propelled gun. However, it has already been found to have a problem — the batteries quickly fail due to the strong recoil during firing.
Read more materials on the topic:
- Cheap and cheerful: a 130-mm self-propelled gun with an M-46 cannon was created on the KamAZ-6560 platform
- A military analyst explained the main problem of Russian artillery
- Footage of the latest modification of the wheeled SPG "Malva" has appeared: the goddess of long-range artillery
