85 Mm Divisional Gun D-44 - Overview

Overview

The design of the D-44 started in 1943 at the design bureau of No.9 factory "Uralmash" and production began in late 1945. Its GRAU code was 52-P-367. The SD-44 was a 1950s variant with an auxiliary propulsion unit and ammunition box for 10 rounds, with 697 issued to the airborne forces (VDV) from 1954. The D-44N was a 1960s variant with an APN 3-7 infra-red illumination device for night combat. China received D-44's during the Korean War and began manufacturing a copy, the Type 56, in the early 1960s. Finally, the Polish Army has equipped some of their D-44 guns with electrical subsystems in the early 1980s and designated them D-44M and D-44MN.

The barrel was developed from that of the T-34-85 tank and was capable of firing 20-25 high explosive (HE), armor piercing, and high explosive antitank (HEAT) projectiles per minute. Subcaliber BR-365P HVAP-T (high velocity armor piercing-tracer) projectiles were capable of penetrating 100mm of armor at 1000 meters at a ninety-degree obliquity, and the BR-367P HVAP-T projectile penetrates 180mm of armor under the same conditions. The O-365K HE round weighed 9.5 kg and packed 741 grams of TNT as its bursting charge, while the BK-2M HEAT-FS (fin stabilized) projectile can penetrate 300mm of armor. The HEAT round for the Type 56 has a maximum range of 970 meters and will penetrate 100mm of armor at an angle of 65 degrees.

The gun uses GAZ-AA tires, and is towed by a 2.5t truck or a Ya-12 tractor with the average speed of 20–25 km/h on surfaced roads, and 11 km/h over open terrain, with a maximum towing speed over asphalt roadway of about 55 km/h. The SD-44's auxiliary propulsion unit M-72 of 14 hp can move the gun at road speeds up to 25 km/h.

The gun uses the OP-2-7 sight with 5.5x magnification for day combat. The sight permits target acquisition at 1500 meters.