"A stab in Russia's back". They are supplying Ukraine with ammunition
A photo of a Ukrainian soldier holding a M63P1 100 mm caliber Serbian-made missile has appeared online. We explain how they got there and present their performance.
4:01 PM EDT, October 25, 2023
The Serbs have been strongly connected with Russia since the 90s of the 20th century when it strongly condemned NATO's Allied Force operation against Serbia. However, politics is politics and business is business, and local authorities do not prohibit the developed defense industry from selling weapons and ammunition.
Serbia, like Bulgaria, is one of the few countries with large capabilities to produce post-Soviet weapons and ammunition. Despite the lack of official support from the government, companies there are at liberty to produce and sell their goods wherever they want, whether that be Ukraine or the Western countries acting as mediaries.
This is an identical approach, as was the case with Bulgaria, which in the early stages of the war provided Ukraine with even 1/3 of the necessary ammunition. Now, Serbian M63P1 projectiles cal. 100 mm have appeared in Ukraine, which is the second instance after the M62P10 mortar rounds cal. 3.94 inches
.M63P1 Shells - fragmentary-destructive ammunition for anti-tank gun cal. 100 mm
The M63P1 projectile seen in the above photo is produced, among other things, by the Serbian company Balkan Novoteh. We have a significant similarity in the case of markings, color schemes, and the primer used at the tip of the projectile.
Missiles of this type are designed for, among others, T-54/55 family tanks or M1944 field guns (BS-3) used in the 1940s-1950s. It's worth noting that even now this ancient armament can be useful as artillery if nothing better is at hand.
The maximum range of M63P1 missiles is approximately 12.81 miles, and their destructive capabilities can still cause a lot of damage. The weight of the missile is about 34.39 lbs, of which the TNT filling constitutes about 3.26 lbs, providing a blast radius of several dozen meters.
The missile is equipped with a simple impact fuse, which in contrast to the 1950s version is much more sensitive (faster action response) and reliable.