100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3)
| 100 mm field gun model 1944 (BS-3) | |
|---|---|
BS-3 at the Israel Defense Forces History Museum, Israel | |
| Type | Field gun and anti-tank gun |
| Place of origin | Soviet Union |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1944–present |
| Used by | Soviet Union |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Produced | 1944–1951 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 3,650 kg (8,047 lbs) |
| Length | 9.37 m (30 ft 9 in)[2] |
| Barrel length | Bore: 5.34 m (17 ft 6 in) L/53.5 Overall: 5.96 m (19 ft 7 in) L/59.6 (with muzzle brake) |
| Width | 2.15 m (7 ft 1 in)[2] |
| Height | 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)[2] |
| Crew | 6 to 8 |
| Shell | 100 × 695 mmR[2] (R/147mm) |
| Caliber | 100 mm (3.93 in) |
| Breech | Semi-automatic vertical sliding-wedge[2] |
| Recoil | hydro-pneumatic[2] |
| Carriage | Split trail |
| Elevation | -5° to 45° |
| Traverse | 58° |
| Rate of fire | 8 to 10 rpm |
| Muzzle velocity | 900 m/s (2,953 ft/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 20 km (12.42 mi) |
The 100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3) (Russian: 100-мм полевая пушка обр. 1944 г. (БС-3)) is a Soviet 100 mm (3.9 in) anti-tank and field gun.
History
Development
The BS-3 was based on the B-34 naval gun. The development team was led by V. G. Grabin.
World War II
During World War II the Soviet Army employed the gun in the light artillery brigades of tank armies (20 pieces along with 48 ZiS-3) and by corps artillery. In the Second World War the BS-3 was successfully used as a powerful anti-tank gun. It was capable of defeating any contemporary tank at long range, excluding the Tiger II: to destroy that heavy tank the gun needed to shoot at less than 1,600 m (5,200 ft) from the target. The gun was capable of defeating the turret of Tiger II at a range of 800–1,000 m (2,600–3,300 ft). The gun was also used as a field gun. Though in this role it was less powerful than the 122 mm A-19, as it fired a smaller round, the BS-3 was more mobile and had a higher rate of fire.
Post World War II
The BS-3 remained in service into the 1950s. As of 1955 it was getting replaced in Soviet service by the T-12 antitank gun and the 85 mm antitank gun D-48. A number of BS-3 pieces are still stored in Russian Ground Forces arsenals. In 2012, at least 12 BS-3 guns were still active with the 18th Machine Gun Artillery Division, located on the Kuril Islands, used as anti-ship and anti-landing guns.
The gun also saw action during the Vietnam War, the Six-Day War, and the Yom Kippur War. The BS-3s also saw extensive use with the Indian Army alongside 25-pounders in the India–Pakistan war of 1971.[3]
During the Russo-Ukrainian War (2014–present) both sides employed towed anti-tank guns. The use of the 100 mm Rapira is well known, but the Ukrainian Army also used the older BS-3. Three Ukrainian BS-3s were destroyed by Russian military forces during the initial phase of their 2022 invasion of Ukraine.[4] In September 2023, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service released footage of a Ukrainian BS-3 crew firing on Russian positions.[5]
Ammunition data
The BS-3 ammunition can also be fired by the KS-19 anti-aircraft gun, T-54/T-55 tanks, and the SU-100 assault gun.[6]
- Ammunition
- AP: BR-412
- APBC: BR-412B
- APCBC: BR-412D
- HE/Fragmentation
- Projectile weight
- AP/APBC: 15.88 kg (34.97 lbs)
- HE/Fragmentation: 15.6 kg (34.39 lbs)
- Armor penetration (BR-412B, 30° degrees)
- 500 m : 190 mm
(547 yds : 7.48 in) - 1000 m : 170 mm
(1,093 yds : 6.69 in)
- 500 m : 190 mm
Operators
Current
- Congo − 10 as of 2025[7]
- Cyprus − 6 as of 2025[8]
- Kyrgyzstan: 18 as of 2025[9]
- Mongolia − Unknown as of 2025[10]
- Mozambique − 20 as of 2025[11]
- Nicaragua − 24 as of 2025[12]
- Sudan − Unknown as of 2025[13]
- Ukraine − Reactivated during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[4][5]
- Vietnam − Unknown as of 2025[14]
Former
- Afghanistan − 250[15]
- Bulgaria[16]
- DR Congo[17]
- East Germany − 144[15]
- Egypt − 100[15]
- Ethiopia[17]
- India[16]
- North Korea − 500[15]
- Mali − 6[15]
- Poland[16]
- Romania[16]
- Somalia − 35[15]
- Soviet Union
- Syria − Some were mounted on a modified T-34 chassis[16]
- Timor-Leste[18]
- Yemen − 20[17]
See also
- 100 mm vz. 53 - A similar Czech anti-tank gun using the same ammunition.
- D-10 tank gun
- 8.8 cm Pak 43- A contemporary German tank gun with similar performance
Notes
- ^ Schuster, Carl Otis; Coffey, David (May 2011). "Vietnam, Democratic Republic of, Army". In Tucker, Spencer C. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History (2 ed.). p. 1251. ISBN 978-1-85109-960-3.
- ^ a b c d e f Foss, Christopher (1977). Jane's pocket book of towed artillery. New York: Collier. p. 59. ISBN 0020806000. OCLC 911907988.
- ^ Isby 1988, p. 219.
- ^ a b "Attack On Europe: Documenting Ukrainian Equipment Losses During The 2022 Russian Invasion Of Ukraine". Oryx. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Border Guards Demonstrate Firing From 100-Mm BS-3 Gun Dating Back To The 1940s". Kyiv: The Sundries. 5 September 2023. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ^ Foss 1990, p. 670.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies 2025d, p. 465.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies 2025, p. 79.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies 2025a, p. 178.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies 2025b, p. 281.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies 2025d, p. 486.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies 2025c, p. 427.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies 2025d, p. 501.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies 2025b, p. 309.
- ^ a b c d e f "Trade Registers". Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved 2014-11-20.
- ^ a b c d e Foss 1990, p. 671.
- ^ a b c "Future Artillery Systems: 2016 Market Report" (PDF). Tidworth: Defence IQ. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (2021). The Military Balance. pp. 92, 188, 285, 309, 422, 458, 465, 479, 493. ISBN 9781032012278.
References
- Shunkov V. N. - The Weapons of the Red Army, Mn. Harvest, 1999 (Шунков В. Н. - Оружие Красной Армии. — Мн.: Харвест, 1999.) ISBN 985-433-469-4
- Foss, Christopher F, ed. (1990). Jane's Armour and Artillery 1990−1991 (11th ed.). Coulsdon, Surrey: Jane's Defence Data. ISBN 978-0-7106-0909-0.
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (11 February 2025). "Chapter Three: Europe". The Military Balance. 125 (1). Taylor & Francis: 52–151. doi:10.1080/04597222.2025.2445475. ISSN 0459-7222.
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (11 February 2025a). "Chapter Four: Russia and Eurasia". The Military Balance. 125 (1). Taylor & Francis: 152–205. doi:10.1080/04597222.2025.2445476. ISSN 0459-7222.
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (11 February 2025b). "Chapter Five: Asia". The Military Balance. 125 (1). Taylor & Francis: 206–311. doi:10.1080/04597222.2025.2445477. ISSN 0459-7222.
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (11 February 2025c). "Chapter Seven: Latin America and the Caribbean". The Military Balance. 125 (1). Taylor & Francis: 380–439. doi:10.1080/04597222.2025.2445479. ISSN 0459-7222.
- International Institute for Strategic Studies (11 February 2025d). "Chapter Eight: Sub-Saharan Africa". The Military Balance. 125 (1). Taylor & Francis: 440–509. doi:10.1080/04597222.2025.2445480. ISSN 0459-7222.
- Isby, David C. (1988). Weapons and tactics of the Soviet Army (Fully revised ed.). London and New York: Jane's. ISBN 978-0-7106-0352-4 – via Internet Archive.