Gun-howitzers D-20 in the Ukrainian army. The threat and the fight against it
Ukrainian gun D-20 during exercises, 2017. Photo by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
152-mm D-20 howitzer guns have been spotted in Ukraine again. Guns of the old Soviet production are used by the Ukrainian army in several sectors of the front. With their help, strikes are made against distant targets, incl. objects of civil infrastructure, Donbass and Ukrainian. However, the use of such howitzer guns is associated with a number of problems and has limited results. So, they are morally and physically obsolete, and their number is small and constantly decreasing due to Russian strikes.
Soviet heritage
The promising gun-howitzer D-20 (GRAU index 52-P-546) was developed in the late forties by the Sverdlovsk OKB-9 as a replacement for the existing ML-20 gun. In the early fifties, the new D-20 coped with all the tests, entered service and went into series. In the future, mass production made it possible to re-equip the Soviet units, create stocks and start export deliveries.
As a result of the collapse of the USSR and the division of the Soviet army, significant numbers of D-20 guns went to independent states, incl. Ukraine. According to known data, at the beginning of the nineties, the Ukrainian army had several hundred of these guns. The available stocks of artillery made it possible to continue its operation and conduct exercises. In addition, guns, incl. D-20 products were sold to third countries. A number of products were stored or turned into monuments.
The weapon is in combat position. Photo by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
According to The Military Balance, by 2013-14. At least 215 D-20 howitzer guns remained in service with Ukraine. The condition of such an arsenal and the number of guns ready for use remained unknown. At the same time, there was every reason to believe that the state of armaments leaves much to be desired.
These assumptions were indirectly confirmed by the published materials. So, in 2013, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense showed the exercises of the 55th artillery brigade, in which only one D-20 battery consisting of six guns was involved. Later, after the Crimean events, they showed the same battery, but with four guns.
In private, military personnel published photographs of D-20 guns from other units. This equipment had a sad appearance and probably the same technical condition. Apparently, the guns had not fired for a long time and did not see proper maintenance. On various details, incl. critical, the paint was missing, and the bare metal was covered in rust. Also, not only external defects could be present.
Shot. Photo by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
Guns for war
At the end of spring 2014, D-20 howitzers were brought to the so-called. anti-terrorist operation. The already well-known four-gun battery, along with other units with other weapons, went to the area between the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics. The Ukrainian army used the D-20 in this direction for several months, but already in August, the guns became a trophy for the militia from the DPR.
In the same period, measures began to restore and return to service gun-howitzers from storage. Re-preservation and restoration was carried out by various army workshops. As reported, the restored D-20s were transferred to existing and newly formed units and sent to fight in the Donbass. In the future, these processes continued, but over time, their pace decreased.
The restored guns, as before, were used to shell the positions of the militia and to attack civilian targets. At the same time, Ukrainian artillerymen faced a number of problems and risks. So, old guns, despite recent repairs, quickly broke down, and their restoration required time and effort.
Destroyed D-20, August 2014. Photo by Lostarmour.info
The enemy, represented by the LPR and the DPR, quickly learned how to counter-battery and often began retaliatory shelling. In addition, as the fighting continued, the Ukrainian army abandoned positions along with guns, and a number of D-20s again changed hands.
In recent years, open clashes have virtually ceased, and the intensity of shelling has fallen. Nevertheless, even in such a situation, the Ukrainian side regularly used 152 mm artillery against the settlements of Donbass. Probably, D-20 howitzer guns were also used in the shelling.
As they were used in combat, the guns worked out their resource and / or broke down, were destroyed by the enemy or were given to him as trophies. As a result of all these events, the total number of D-20s in Ukraine has noticeably decreased. The Military Balance reference books in recent years indicate the presence of only 130 of these guns.
In the process of demilitarization
In February 2022, Ukraine intensified shelling of the DNR and LNR. Arrivals of 152 mm caliber shells were regularly recorded, which could have been fired from D-20 howitzer guns. However, it was not possible to shell the republics with impunity - Russia launched an operation to protect them and demilitarize Ukraine.
A militiaman with a trophy, August 2014. The unsatisfactory condition of the weapon is visible. Photo Lostarmour.info
As part of the current Special Operation, the Russian army, using existing reconnaissance systems and firepower, finds and destroys various enemy targets, incl. artillery positions. In particular, during March, official and unofficial sources published photos and videos of the destruction of Ukrainian D-20 guns. There are also reports of guns of this type abandoned during the retreat.
The exact number of destroyed D-20s is not yet known. At the same time, there is an obvious tendency to its constant decrease "for natural reasons" and as a result of the strikes of the armies of Russia and the young republics. It is quite possible that by the time the Special Operation is completed, the Ukrainian army will be left without D-20 howitzer guns and some other types of weapons.
Technical potential
The D-20 product is a 152 mm towed howitzer gun designed to engage a wide range of targets directly at the front line or at the tactical depth of defense. Calculation of the gun - 8 people. The gun was developed in the middle of the last century, but a number of new solutions were used in its design, due to which it still retains a certain combat and operational potential.
The D-20 gun and the truck are the targets for the next strike. Frame from video from Russian UAV
The basis of the artillery system is a rifled barrel of 152,4 mm caliber, 27,2 klb long. The barrel is equipped with a developed two-chamber active type muzzle brake. The breech has a semi-automatic vertical wedge bolt. The barrel is equipped with recoil devices with a hydraulic recoil brake and a hydropneumatic knurler.
For the D-20, a wheeled carriage of a traditional design was developed, consisting of two machines. The lower machine is equipped with a wheel drive, lowered front support and sliding beds. The upper one has gun mounts, guidance mechanisms and shield cover. The gun carriage provides horizontal aiming within a 58° wide sector and vertical guidance from -5° to +45°.
The D-20 uses separate case-loading shots with various types of projectiles. The main one is high-explosive fragmentation. There are also cumulative fragmentation, incendiary, smoke, etc. The gun is compatible with the modern Krasnopol guided munition. Like other Soviet-designed 152-mm systems, it could use nuclear weapons.
A couple of artillery systems seconds before the defeat. Frame from video from Russian UAV
The metal shell of the shot contains a variable charge. With a maximum charge, a high-explosive fragmentation projectile is sent to 17,2 km. Active-reactive firing range - up to 24 km.
The mass of the D-20 gun-howitzer exceeds 5,6 tons. Its movement across the battlefield or its transfer along the roads is provided by a tractor in the form of a car with the appropriate characteristics. The speed of transportation on the highway is up to 60 km / h.
Fight against danger
The 152 mm D-20 howitzer gun was developed and put into production 70 years ago. Guns of this type are morally and physically obsolete, which is why they are inferior to newer and more advanced models in all respects. Nevertheless, the guns of the middle of the last century are quite capable of sending shells into a given square and still pose a certain danger that must be dealt with.
It is obvious that the suppression of Ukrainian artillery, incl. guns D-20, will continue. Using a variety of means, our army will continue to identify and hit the positions of Ukrainian artillery. As the practice of recent years shows, it was guns of various types that posed the main threat to the Donbass and its inhabitants. And their destruction is now becoming one of the main ways to protect the LPR and DPR.
Information