Vietnam automates 37.57mm anti-aircraft guns

In order to meet the current requirements of national defense, Vietnam has researched and upgraded its low-altitude anti-aircraft artillery of 37 and 57mm caliber.

Currently, playing an important role in the low-altitude air defense network protecting the skies of Vietnam are two types of artillery: the Type 65 37mm and the S-60 57mm. These are important weapons against low-flying targets, protecting cities, industrial facilities, high-altitude missile sites, etc.

More than half a century still good

Type 65 37mm and S-60 57mm anti-aircraft guns were provided to Vietnam in large numbers by China and the Soviet Union since the 1960s.

In particular, the Type 65 37mm anti-aircraft gun produced in China is used to attack low-altitude air targets. It can also lower its barrel to fire directly at armored vehicles and surface ships (small enemy boats approaching the coast or islands).

37mm double barrel anti-aircraft gun in live-fire exercise.

Type 65 is designed with 2 37mm cannons, operated entirely by hand (gun crew consists of 7-9 people). Target aiming depends on day vision optics, no radar support. The gun is capable of shooting low-altitude aerial targets up to 3.5km (ground targets are 8.5km), firing rate 160-180 rounds/minute.

The second type is the S-60 57mm, produced by the Soviet Union. Similar to the 37mm gun, the 57mm, in addition to its anti-aircraft capabilities, can also lower its barrel to fire directly at armored vehicles and surface ships. The S-60 is equipped with a manually operated 57mm gun (7-man crew), with a maximum range of 8,000m, and a rate of fire of 105-120 rounds/minute.

More modern than the 37mm, the 57mm gun is equipped with a command system (calculating firing elements) and a radar system to capture low-altitude targets.

With the “golden hands” of the Vietnamese, these two types of artillery have shot down many advanced American tactical fighter planes. Currently, our 37mm and 57mm artillery still play an important role in the low-altitude air defense network.

57mm anti-aircraft gun firing live ammunition.

However, these two types of artillery, although still meeting combat requirements, are generally outdated compared to the times.

These types of artillery all have the disadvantage of limited night-time combat capability. Nowadays, in wars, attacking forces often carry out air strikes at night.

In addition, manual combat is difficult to achieve high efficiency, the firing rate is slow, and the synchronization is low. Because in air defense operations, simultaneous firing (of many guns) at a target will create a high density of firepower, thereby increasing the probability of hitting the target.

Faced with this urgent need, our military engineering units have researched and modernized 37mm and 57mm cannons.

Increased 37mm and 57mm cannon power

According to the People's Army newspaper, officers from the Military Technical Automation Institute have improved the equipment for 37mm cannons with semi-automatic night-time weapons. With this system, our troops can detect targets at a distance of 40km in day and night conditions, with the enemy causing electronic interference. The calculation of the 37mm cannon's firing element is done by computer.

We also equipped the cannon with an electric trigger system and an automatic loader. Accordingly, when ordered, the batteries will simultaneously fire at the target, ensuring a high density of firepower and a high probability of hitting the target.

Semi-automatic night fighting equipment of the 37mm artillery unit.

In addition to the project to upgrade the night fighting capability of the 37mm gun, the Military Mechanical Engineering Institute (General Department of Engineering) previously implemented the project "Research on installing a 37mm twin-barreled gun on a Ural-375D wheeled transport vehicle". This will significantly increase the mobility - an important factor in modern air defense operations for the 37mm gun.

The project is considered quite successful, with automatic deployment time of no more than 3 minutes, automatic recall of the system of no more than 2 minutes. When fighting in different positions, the convergence is equivalent to that of a ground-based artillery system.

37mm artillery position fires at targets at night.

To modernize the S-60 57mm gun, technical staff of the Air Defense Artillery - Missile Department focused on improving the K59-03 command machine and the K8-60 reconnaissance radar.

Previously, the K59-03 command device used an electronic amplifier and a potentiometer to calculate the interception element, so the accuracy was not high, the calculation time was long, and it was not capable of detecting and following flying targets at night without lights on.

Therefore, our officers have improved with digital computers so that the accuracy is higher, the calculation time is faster, and the integration of the optoelectronic system helps the observer to observe and detect targets at night better.

Watch the 57mm gun test fire after upgrade:

According to Knowledge