M1939 61-K

M1939 61-K 37mm anti-aircraft gun

Description

Technical Data

Specifications

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Description

The M1939 (61-K) is a Russian-made 37mm anti-aircraft gun which was developed during the late 1930s and used during the Second World War. The 61-K was accepted for service in Russian army in 1939 under the designation of the 37 mm Automatic Anti-aircraft Cannon M1939 and the first order placed for 900 units. It is believed that total production amounted to almost 20,000 weapons with final deliveries made in 1945. The M-1939 is operated by a crew of eight soldiers. The effectiveness of the 37-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun M1939 against modern aircraft is very limited and it has no poor weather or all-weather capability. The M1939 is not limited for anti-air defense but could be also used as anti-tank gun system. The M1939 is no longer in service with the Russian armed but many countries in Middle East and Africa still use this type of anti-aircraft gun.

Variants

- Type 55: Chinese copy of the Russian M-1939 37mm
- Type 76: naval version

Technical Data

Armament

The M1939 uses a single barrel 37mm cannon. A total of 200 rounds of ammunition were carried which were fed into the gun in five round clips. Armour penetration of the armour-piercing (AP) rounds is reported as 37 millimeters of Rolled homogeneous armour (RHA) at 60°at 500 meters range and 28 millimeters of RHA at 90° at 1500 meters range. The M-1939 can fired FRAG-T, AP-T, HVAP or HE ammunitions.

Design

The 37mm gun is installed on a four wheeled carriage. In the firing position the wheels are raised off the ground and it is supported by four screw jacks, one at the front, one at the rear of the carriage and one either side on outriggers. When travelling, the barrel is pointed to the rear and is held in position by a lock hinged at the rear of the carriage. Basically a shield is mounted to each side front of the gun bt most countries have removed the shield.

Mobility

The M1939 37mm anti-aircraft gun is towed most of the time by a military truck or light tactical vehicle as the GAZ-63.

Operations

The 37 mm M1939 anti-aircraft gun has an effective slant range of 2,499 m. Effective altitude limit with an elevation of +45º is 1,768 m and with an elevation of +65º is 2,865 m. Self-destruct range is 4,389 m.

Specifications