D-56T
The 76.2 mm D-56T series rifled tank gun is the tank gun used on the PT-76, which is the only known armoured vehicle to carry it.
| D-56T tank gun | |
|---|---|
 D-56T gun on a PT-76 light tank | |
| Type | rifled antitank gun |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1952–present |
| Wars | see PT-76#Combat service |
| Production history | |
| Designer | N. Shashmurin and Zh.Y. Kotin |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 42 calibers (3.2 metres) |
| Calibre | 76.2 mm (3.03 in) |
| Carriage | vehicle mount |
| Rate of fire | 6-8 rounds per minute |
| Maximum firing range | 1,500 metres (1,640 yards) |
Description
It has a max effective range of approximately 1500 meters, reduced to 650 meters at night, and a rate of fire of six to eight rounds per minute. This gun is 42 calibers long. A typical ammunition load consists of 24 x OF-350 Frag-HE, 4 x sub-caliber AP-T, 4 x AP-T and 8 x BK-350M HEAT rounds. The gun is mounted in an oval dish-type circular truncated cone turret with flat sloping sides which is mounted over the second, third, and fourth pair of road wheels. All PT-76s have a fume extractor for the main gun at the rear of the turret. Some were fitted with a multi-slotted muzzle brakes. The PT-76 is typically fitted with the D-56T gun with double-baffle muzzle brake and a bore evacuator towards the muzzle.