37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K)

(Redirected from 37 mm M1939) Soviet anti-aircraft gun

37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K)
61-K in Saint Petersburg Artillery Museum
Type	Anti-aircraft gun Autocannon
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
Used by	See Users
Wars	World War II First Indochina War Korean War Vietnam War Laotian Civil War Cambodian Civil War Cambodian–Vietnamese War Sino-Vietnamese War Portuguese Colonial War Somali Civil War South African Border War Lebanese Civil War Syrian Civil War Yemeni Civil War (2015–present) Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen Tigray War
Production history
Manufacturer	Podolsk Mechanical Plant
Produced	1939–1945 (USSR)
No. built	20,000 (USSR)
Specifications
Mass	2,100 kg (4,600 lb)
Barrel length	2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) L/67
Crew	8

Shell	37 × 252 mmSR
Shell weight	730 g (1.61 lb) Frag-T 770 g (1.70 lb) AP-T
Caliber	37 mm (1.5 in)
Recoil	Hydro-spring
Carriage	Four-wheeled with twin outriggers
Elevation	−5° to 85°
Traverse	360°
Rate of fire	160-170 rpm
Muzzle velocity	880 m/s (2,900 ft/s)
Effective firing range	4 km (13,000 ft) (effective ceiling)
Maximum firing range	5 km (16,000 ft) (maximum ceiling)

61-K at IDF/AF Museum, Chatzerim airbase, Israel

The 37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K) (Russian: 37-мм автоматическая зенитная пушка образца 1939 года (61-К)) is a Soviet 37 mm calibre anti-aircraft gun developed during the late 1930s and used during World War II. The land-based version was replaced in Soviet service by the AZP S-60 during the 1950s. Guns of this type were successfully used throughout the Eastern Front against dive bombers and other low- and medium-altitude targets. It also had some usefulness against lightly armoured ground targets.

Development

The Soviet Navy purchased a number of Bofors 25 mm Model 1933 guns in 1935, trials of the weapon were successful, and it was decided to develop a 45 mm version of the weapon designated the 49-K. The development under the guidance of leading Soviet designers M. N. Loginov, I. A. Lyamin and L. V. Lyuliev was successful, but the army thought that the 45 mm calibre was a little too large for an automatic field weapon. In January 1938 the Artillery Factory Number 8 in Sverdlovsk was ordered to develop a 37 mm weapon based on the same design. The task was fulfilled by the chief designer of the factory, Mikhail Loginov, and his assistant Lev Loktev. Firing trials of the new 61-K were conducted in October 1938.

Competitive firing trials were conducted in 1940 between the 61-K and the Bofors 40 mm/56. There were no substantial differences found between them.

Land version

The weapon was initially installed as a single-barrel weapon on a four-wheeled ZU-7 carriage and was soon ready for service. An initial order for 900 units was placed. The gun was operated by a crew of eight men. A total of 200 rounds of ammunition were carried which were fed into the gun in five-round clips. Total Soviet production was around 20,000 units, ending in 1945. However, it has also been produced in Poland, China and North Korea.

Armour penetration of the armour-piercing (AP) rounds is reported as 37 millimetres of rolled homogeneous armour (RHA) at 60°at 500 metres range and 28 millimetres of RHA at 90° at 1,500 metres range.

Naval version

70-K on the Soviet cruiser *Krasny Kavkaz*

The naval mounting was produced as the 70-K and had entered service before the German invasion of the Soviet Union replacing the semi-automatic 45 mm/46 21-K on many ships. It was fitted in large numbers to Soviet ships during the Second World War, including the T301 class minesweeper. The 70-K was produced until 1955, with a total of 3,113 built.

One drawback was that the 70-K required a barrel change after every 100 rounds fired. To improve on this, a twin-barrel water cooled mount, the V-11 (called "W-11" in East Germany and Poland because of different Cyrillic transliteration), entered service in 1946, and was in production until 1957. A total of 1,872 V-11 mounts were built.

After this an 85-calibre 100 mm (3.9 in) anti-aircraft mounts long version, the 45 mm/85, was developed and accepted into service in 1954, it was deployed in twin and quad turrets on a number of classes of vessels, including the Neustrashimy, Kildin and Kotlin-class destroyers. However, it was later replaced with the ZIF-31 twin 57 mm mounting.

The 37 mm twin mounting was exported to China where it was manufactured and used extensively, as the "Type 65". A turret-based version was produced from the late 1980s called the "Type 76" or H/PJA 76.

ZSU-37

The ZSU-37 was developed late in the Second World War, it was a single 37 mm gun mounted in a large open turret on the chassis of the SU-76 self-propelled gun.

Specifications

Designation	M1939	70-K (naval)	V-11-M (naval)	45 mm (naval)
Barrels	1	1	2	4 or 2
Calibre	37 mm (1.45 in)
Barrel length	2.73 m (9 ft)	2.3 m (7.54 ft)	2.3 m (7.54 ft)	3.8 m (12.46 ft)
Muzzle velocity	880 m/s (2,887 ft/s)			900 m/s (2,953 ft/s)
Weight	2,100 kg (4,630 lbs)	1,750 kg (3,858 lbs)	3,450 kg (7,606 lbs)	?
Length	5.5 m (18 ft)	3.8 m (12.46 ft)	3.8 m (12.46 ft)	6 m (19.68 ft)
Width	1.79 m (5.87 ft)	2.2 m (7.21 ft)	2.75 m (9 ft)
Height	2.11 m (7 ft)	2.2 m (7.21 ft)	1.8 m (6 ft)
Elevation	+85 to −5 degrees	+85 to −10 degrees	+85 to −10 degrees	+90 to 0 degrees
Elevation speed	?	15 degrees / sec	13 degrees / sec	?
Traverse speed	?	20 degrees / sec	17 degrees / sec	?
Rate of fire per barrel
(cyclic)	160 to 170 rpm	160 to 170 rpm	160 to 170 rpm	135 to 160 rpm
(practical)	80 rpm		320 rpm for all 2 barrels	100 rpm
Maximum range (surface)	9,500 m (5.90 mi)			?
Practical range (surface)	4,000 m (2.48 mi)			9,000 m
Maximum range (air)	6,700 m (21,981 ft)			?
Practical range (air)	3,000 m (9,842 ft)			6,000 m
Crew	8	6	3	4

Recoil length: 150 to 175 mm

Ammunition

The cannon fires 37×252SR shells. The shells use brass cases lined with waxed paper and use KV-2U percussion primers. A small piece of lead-tin wire is included in the case to act as a de-coppering agent, to counteract the buildup of copper from the driving bands of the projectiles. The Ammunition is produced in a number of countries including China, Russia, Egypt, Pakistan and Yugoslavia. The projectiles themselves are identical to those fired by the NS-37 aircraft cannon. The explosive shells are fitted with point detonating fuzes making them unsuitable for engaging fast moving or small targets.

Type	Frag-T	Frag-T	AP-T	HVAP	HE
Calibre	37 mm	37 mm	37 mm	37 mm	45 mm
Country	Russia
Name	OR-167	OR-167N	BR-167	BR-167P	?
Fuze	MG-8 PD or MG-37 PD	B-37 PD or MG-37 PD	n/a	n/a	?
Round	1.43 kg (3.15 lbs)	1.43 kg (3.15 lbs)	1.47 kg (3.24 lbs)	?
Projectile	732 g (1.43 lbs)	735 g (1.43 lbs)	770 g (1.62 lbs)	620 g (1.36 lbs)	1.5 kg (3.30 lbs)
Explosive	35 g (1.23 oz) of A-IX-2	40 g (1.41 oz) of A-IX-2 or A-1Kh-2	n/a	n/a	?
Muzzle velocity	880 m/s (2,887 ft/s)			960 m/s (3,150 ft/s)	900 m/s (2,953 ft/s)
Armour penetration	?	?	47 mm @ 500 m (1.85 in @ 547 yds) 37 mm @ 1,000 m (1.45 in @ 1,093 yds)	57 mm @ 1000 m (2.24 in @ 1,093 yds)	?

Variants

Norinco (Chinese)

- Type 55 – copy of the single barreled 37 mm M1939
- Type 63 – twin 37 mm guns with vertical stabilization mounted on a T-34 chassis.
- Type 65 – copy of the twin barreled 37 mm.
- Type 74 – upgraded version of the Type 65 with a greater rate of fire.
- Type 74SD – Type 74 with servo system removed for operation with Type 800 laser course director system.
- Type 79-III – upgraded version of the Type 74 with electro-optical director, and powered traverse and elevation.
- Type 76 – Naval version of the twin 37 mm.
- P793 – Advanced twin-barrel version, with electro-optical predicting sight and higher rate of fire and lengthened barrels giving a higher muzzle velocity (1,000 m/s). Operated by a crew of 5 or 6.
North Korea
- Self-propelled version

Comparison of anti-aircraft guns

Country	Gun model	RPM	Projectile weight	Weight of fire
Soviet Union	37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K)	80	.73 kg (1.6 lb)	58.4 kg (129 lb)
Nazi Germany	3.7 cm SK C/30	30	.74 kg (1.6 lb)	22.2 kg (49 lb)
France	Canon de 37 mm Modèle 1925	15–21	.72 kg (1.6 lb)	10.8–15.12 kg (23.8–33.3 lb)
Italy	Cannone-Mitragliera da 37/54 (Breda)	60–120	.82 kg (1.8 lb)	49.2–98.4 kg (108–217 lb)
United States	37 mm Gun M1	90	.61 kg (1.3 lb)	54.9 kg (121 lb)
Nazi Germany	3.7 cm Flak 18/36/37/43	150	.64 kg (1.4 lb)	96 kg (212 lb)
United Kingdom	QF 2-pounder naval gun	115	.91 kg (2.0 lb)	104.6 kg (231 lb)
Sweden	Bofors 40 mm gun	120	.9 kg (2.0 lb)	108 kg (238 lb)

Users

Current operators

Angola
Algeria: ~150
Bosnia and Herzegovina: 7 Type 55
Bangladesh: 132 Type 65/74
Bolivia: 18 Type 65
Burundi: Type 55
Cambodia
Cameroon: 18 Type 63
People's Republic of China
Republic of the Congo: 28
Democratic Republic of the Congo: 51
Cuba
Egypt
Ethiopia
- Tigray Defense Forces: Chinese variants
Gabon: 10
Guinea: 8
Guinea-Bissau: 6
Iran
Israel
North Korea
Laos
Madagascar: 20 Type 55
Mauritania: 10
Mozambique: <100
Myanmar: 24 Type 74
Nepal
Pakistan: 310 Type 55/Type 65
Seychelles
South Sudan: Type 65/Type 74
Sudan: Type 63 and M1939
Sri Lanka
Syria
- People's Defense Units (YPG)
Tanzania: 120
Thailand: 52 Type 74
Togo: 5
Tunisia: 15 Type 55/Type 65
Uganda: 20
Vietnam
Zambia: 40
Zimbabwe: 35

Former operators

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Afghanistan
Albania
Bulgaria: 257 units were received in 1945-1948
East Germany
Finland
Georgia
Indonesia
Iraq
Islamic State: Type 65
Morocco
Mali
Mongolia
Malaysia
Nicaragua
North Yemen: 100 ordered from Czechoslovakia in 1956
Poland
Romania
Soviet Union
Somalia
Yugoslavia
Zaire

Notes

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DiGiulian, Tony. "Germany 3.7 cm/57 (1.5") Flak M43 - NavWeaps". navweaps.com. Archived from the original on 2017-06-03. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
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The Military Balance 2016, p. 393.
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Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (1 September 2021). "The Tigray Defence Forces - Documenting Its Heavy Weaponry". Oryx Blog. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
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Hussein, Solomon (1988). Towards a Common Defence and Security Policy in the Southern African Development Community. Pretoria: Africa Institute of South Africa. pp. 109–111. ISBN 978-0798301749.
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v t e Soviet artillery of World War II (naming convention)
Anti-tank guns	37 mm anti-tank gun M1930 (1-K) 45 mm anti-tank gun M1932 (19-K) 45 mm anti-tank gun M1937 (53-K) 45 mm anti-tank gun M1942 (M-42) 57 mm anti-tank gun M1943 (ZiS-2) 100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3) 100 mm D-10 tank gun
Mountain guns	76 mm mountain gun M1909 (76-09) 76 mm mountain gun M1938
Regimental guns	76 mm regimental gun M1927 76 mm regimental gun M1943 (OB-25)
Divisional guns	76 mm divisional gun M1902/30 76 mm divisional gun M1933 76 mm divisional gun M1936 (F-22) 76 mm divisional gun M1939 (USV) 76 mm divisional gun M1942 (ZiS-3) 85 mm divisional gun D-44 107 mm divisional gun M1940 (M-60) 122 mm howitzer M1909/37 122 mm howitzer M1910/30 122 mm howitzer M1938 (M-30) 152 mm mortar M1931 (NM)
Corps and army level guns	107 mm gun M1910/30 122 mm gun M1931 (A-19) 122 mm gun M1931/37 (A-19) 152 mm howitzer M1909/30 152 mm gun M1910/30 152 mm gun M1910/34 152 mm howitzer M1910/37 152 mm howitzer M1938 (M-10) 152 mm howitzer M1943 (D-1) 152 mm howitzer-gun M1937 (ML-20)
Very heavy guns	152 mm gun M1935 (Br-2) 203 mm howitzer M1931 (B-4) 210 mm gun M1939 (Br-17) 280 mm howitzer M1914/15 280 mm mortar M1939 (Br-5) 305 mm howitzer M1939 (Br-18)
Air defense guns	25 mm automatic air defense gun M1940 (72-K) 37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K) 45 mm anti-aircraft gun (21-K) 76 mm air defense gun M1931 76 mm air defense gun M1938 85 mm air defense gun M1939 (52-K)