Jump to content

B-10 recoilless rifle

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Idsnowdog (talk | contribs) at 21:30, 6 June 2011 (Reformatted the stats to make them easier to read). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

B-10 recoilless rifle
B-10 recoiless rifle in Batey ha-Osef Museum, Israel.
TypeRecoilless rifle
Place of origin Soviet Union
Service history
In service1954 to 1980s
Used by Soviet Union
 Bulgaria
 Cambodia
 China
 East Germany
 Egypt
 North Korea
 Pakistan
 Poland
 Syria
 Vietnam
Taliban
WarsVietnam War
Production history
DesignerKBM (Kolomna)
VariantsType 65
Specifications
Mass85.3 kg (188 lbs)
71.7 kg (158 lbs)
without wheels
Length1.85 m (6 ft)
travel position
Barrel length1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Crew4

Caliber82 mm (3.22 in)
ActionSingle shot
CarriageTwo wheeled with integrated tripod
Elevation-20/+35°
Traverse250° in each direction for 360 total.
Rate of fire5 to 7 rpm
Effective firing range400 m (437 yds)
Maximum firing range4,500 m (4,921 yds)
Feed systemBreech loaded
SightsOptical (PBO-2)

The B-10 recoilless rifle (Bezotkatnojie orudie-10, known as the RG82 in East Germany) is a Soviet 82 mm smoothbore recoilless rifle. It could be carried on the rear of a BTR-50 armoured personnel carrier. It was a development of the earlier SPG-82, and entered Soviet service during 1954. It was phased out of service in the Soviet Army in the 1960s and replaced by the SPG-9, remaining in service with parachute units at least until the 1980s. Although now obsolete it was used by a large number of countries during the Cold War.

Description

B-10 recoilless rifle.

The weapon consists of a large barrel, with a PBO-2 sight mounted to the left. It is mounted on a small carriage, which has two large wheels, which can be removed. The carriage has an integrated tripod, from which the weapon is normally fired. A small wheel is fitted to the front of the barrel to prevent it touching the ground while being towed. It is normally towed by vehicle, although it can be towed by its four man crew for short distances using the tow handle fitted to either side of the muzzle.

The tripod can be deployed in two positions providing either a good field of fire or a low silhoutte. Rounds are inserted into the weapon through the breech, and percussion fired using a pistol grip to the right of the barrel.

The PBO-2 optical sight has a 5.5x zoom direct fire sight, and a 2.5x zoom sight for indirect fire.

Variants

  • Type 65 - Chinese version that weighs only 28.2 kg with a tripod mount and no wheels.
  • Type 65-1 - Chinese version that can be broken down into two parts for long distance carrying.

Ammunition

File:BK-881-cutaway.JPG
A cutaway BK-881 HEAT round.
  • BK-881 - HEAT-FS 3.87 kg. 0.46 kg of RDX. GK-2 PIBD fuze.
  • BK-881M - HEAT-FS 4.11 kg. 0.54 kg of RDX. GK-2M PDIBD fuze. 240 mm versus RHA. Muzzle velocity 322 m/s.
  • O-881A - HE-FRAG 3.90 kg. 0.46 kg of TNT/dinitronaphthalene. GK-2 fuze. Muzzle velocity 320 m/s. Indirect fire maximum range 4500 m.
  • Type 65 (Chinese) - HEAT 3.5 kg. 356 mm versus RHA. Muzzle velocity 240 m/s.
  • Type 65 (Chinese) - HE-FRAG 4.6 kg. Warhead contains approx 780 balls - lethal radius 20 m. Muzzle velocity 175 m/s. Max range 1750 m.

See also

References

  • Artillery of the World, Christopher F. Foss, ISBN 0-7110-0505-2
  • Brassey's Infantry Weapons of the World, J.I.H. Owen, Loc number 74-20627