Russia deploys vintage M‑46 guns with North Korean ammo

For months, the Russians have been pulling equipment from the depths of warehouses, even devices withdrawn from service during the USSR era. After the T-54/55 tanks, the time has come for M-46 field guns powered by North Korean ammunition. We present what this intriguing combination can do.

Exciting photos of Russian artillerymen firing M-46 field guns with shells produced in North Korea marked "for Sevastopol" have appeared online. This is another instance of Russians resorting to older equipment after assaults using not only T-62 tanks but even T-54 tanks.

The roots of the field gun trace back to the years immediately following World War II, when the USSR was searching for a replacement for the A-19 guns. The solution was the M-36 naval gun, which was mounted on a wheeled carriage. This had certain limits because the new weapon could not fire at an angle greater than 45 degrees. However, its 55-caliber barrel (approximately 23 feet) produced high projectile muzzle velocity and good range.

3OF33 fragmentation shells containing 8 pounds of TNT range up to approximately 17 miles, and with Chinese ERFB (NUBB) shells equipped with a gas generator, the range increases to 24 miles. These shells contain a slightly smaller payload of 7 pounds of TNT and are most likely produced in North Korea. These are better than 122 mm guns and even some 152 mm pieces, assuming the North Korean ammunition works reliably.

M-46 field guns allow the Russians to somewhat bridge the range gap of their towed artillery compared to the 155 mm gun-howitzers and howitzers used by Ukrainians, who can strike targets over 15 miles away using the cheapest available artillery shells.

The M-46 guns were withdrawn from Soviet armament in the 1970s in favor of 2A36 Hyacinth-B gun-howitzers. Another primary user of M-46 guns was China, where they were also produced under license as Type 59. This variant eventually made its way to North Korea, where it remains one of the main barrel artillery strike tools. Other significant users of the 130 mm artillery guns include Iraq.