Finnish anti-aircraft artillery in the post-war years
In the first post-war years, the basis of the Finnish air defense was 20-mm, 40-mm and 88-mm anti-aircraft guns, produced in the late 1930s and early 1940s. A significant part of these anti-aircraft guns served 30-40 years, and the last guns of the World War II era were decommissioned in the 1980s.
In the late 1950s, Swiss-made 35mm radar-guided anti-aircraft guns entered service. In the 1960s, the Finnish anti-aircraft artillery was reinforced by Soviet 57-mm self-propelled and towed units. In the 1970s, Finland purchased a large batch of 23-mm twin anti-aircraft guns. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, turret modules with 35-mm guns for self-propelled anti-aircraft units were delivered, which were mounted on the chassis tanks T-55AM. Since 2015, these anti-aircraft modules have been installed on the Leopard 2A4 base.
After the end of World War II, the troops were armed with Defense Finland has preserved 88-mm German Flak 37 anti-aircraft guns, 40-mm Swedish Bofors L 60 and 20-mm machine guns of several types, both domestic and foreign production.
Anti-aircraft artillery of the era of World War II
88-mm Flak 37 guns were supplied in two versions, the first batch included 18 anti-aircraft guns on a wheeled carriage, another 72 guns, received in June 1944, were intended for mounting on stationary concrete bases. In Finland, these anti-aircraft guns received the local designation 88 ItK / 37.
Anti-aircraft gun 88 ItK / 37 in the Museum of Air Defense Forces in Tuusula
Unlike earlier models of the Acht-Komma-Acht Zentimeter, the Flak 37 guns were equipped with the Ubertransunger 37 automatic aiming system, according to data transmitted via cable from the fire control equipment of the anti-aircraft battery. Thanks to this, the speed and accuracy of aiming have increased. Simultaneously with the first batch of Flak 37, the Germans provided FuMG 62 Wurtzberg 39 fire control radars, which, in addition to adjustments, could be used to detect air targets in a given sector.
Mass production of the 8,8 cm Flak 37 anti-aircraft gun began in 1939. Outwardly, this model did not differ much from the 8,8 cm Flak 36. From the earlier Flak 18 and Flak 36 models, the Flak 37 gun differed in the design of the carriage and the barrel manufacturing technology developed by Rheinmetall. The modernization also affected the gun guidance system. Flak 37 anti-aircraft guns were equipped with the Ubertransunger 37 automatic aiming system according to data transmitted via cable from battery fire control equipment. 88-mm anti-aircraft guns of this modification were the first to be able to interface with a fire control radar.
The maximum firing range for air targets was 14 m. The mass of the gun in combat position was 800 kg. Rate of fire - up to 5 rds / min. A fragmentation projectile weighing 000 kg could hit targets at an altitude of up to 20 m.
Unlike the German army, the Finnish 88 mm anti-aircraft guns were never used in anti-tank defense. The high combat characteristics of German-made anti-aircraft guns allowed them to remain in service for a long time. Service guns 88 ItK / 37 in the Finnish air defense continued until 1967, after which they were distributed to coastal defense units, where they were until the early 1990s.
In the second half of the 1930s, towed and naval 40-mm anti-aircraft guns from Bofors were popular with foreign customers. In Europe, they were purchased or licensed for production: Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Finland, France and Yugoslavia. The 40-mm Bofors was one of the best anti-aircraft guns of the Second World War period, which predetermined the significant volumes of its production and active use by the warring parties.
During the Second World War, the Finnish air defense units had several hundred 40-mm Bofors L60 anti-aircraft guns purchased in Sweden, Hungary and Germany (captured by the Germans in Denmark, Norway and Poland). In addition, about 300 Bofors were produced at Finnish enterprises. In Finland, the 40-mm anti-aircraft machine was designated 40 ITK / 35-39 Bofors.
40 mm gun 40 ITK/35-39 Bofors in firing position
The artillery unit was mounted on a two-axle towed wagon, which, when transferred to a combat position, was hung on jacks. In case of urgent need, shooting could be carried out directly from the wheels, without additional procedures, but with less accuracy. The mass of the anti-aircraft gun in combat position is about 2 kg. Rate of fire: 400 to 120 rds/min. Combat rate of fire - about 140 rds / min. Calculation: 60-5 people. The anti-aircraft mount was loaded from a vertically inserted clip for 6 rounds.
The main one was considered to be a 900 g fragmentation tracer projectile, equipped with 60 g of TNT, leaving the barrel at a speed of 850 m / s. A solid armor-piercing tracer weighing 890 g, with an initial speed of 870 m / s, could penetrate 500-mm armor at a distance of 50 m. In terms of effective shot range and projectile weight, the Bofors L60 anti-aircraft gun was slightly superior to the German and Soviet 37-mm 3,7 cm Flak 36 and 61-K assault rifles, had a combat rate of fire close to them, but was heavier.
A significant part of the Finnish 40-mm anti-aircraft guns were equipped with automated aiming devices, the data for which came via cable from optical rangefinders.
6 Swedish ZSU Landsverk II were also delivered to Finland. Light anti-aircraft tanks weighing 9,5 tons, protected by 6–20 mm armor, were armed with one 40 mm Bofors L60 gun. These vehicles were in service until 1966.
ZSU Landsverk II
In 1959, some of the 40-mm towed anti-aircraft guns were equipped with hydraulic drives connected by cables to centralized guidance equipment. For autonomous power supply, each anti-aircraft gun had a gas-electric unit. After modernization, the Finnish Bofors received the designation 40 Itk 36/59.
Radar Thomson-Houston Mark VII
To generate data on air targets in the UK, 6 Thomson-Houston Mark VII fire control radars and Command 43 / 50R gun guidance stations were purchased. Anti-aircraft batteries with upgraded Bofors L60s were withdrawn from service in the late 1990s.
In the first post-war decade, Finnish anti-aircraft units and warehouses had several hundred 20-mm anti-aircraft guns of Danish, Italian and domestic production.
During the Second World War, the Finns purchased 362 anti-aircraft guns manufactured at the Madsen plant. For Danish anti-aircraft guns in Finland, the production of 20x120 mm ammunition was launched.
Finnish 20-mm anti-aircraft gun 20 IT / 39M (Madsen) in a firing position
The 20 ITK / 39M machine gun was powered from 40 or 60-round drum magazines. Practical rate of fire: 200-250 rds / min. The range of effective fire is up to 1 meters.
Until the early 1980s, 20 ItK / 35 Breda assault rifles (Italian 20-mm Canon mitrailleur Breda de 20 / 65 mod. 35) chambered for 20x138B were in storage. A batch of these guns, numbering 88 units, arrived in the summer of 1940.
Finnish calculation rolls 20-mm anti-aircraft gun 20 ItK / 35 Breda
Thanks to powerful ammunition, the 20-mm 20 ItK/35 Breda anti-aircraft gun had excellent ballistics and high armor penetration for such a caliber. A projectile with an initial velocity of 850 m/s at a distance of 200 meters normally pierced armor 26 mm thick. Power was supplied from rigid clips for 12 shots, which could be docked together. With a mass in combat position of 330 kg and a rate of fire of 550 rds / min, the anti-aircraft gun could fight air targets at a distance of up to 2 meters.
In addition to purchasing anti-aircraft guns abroad, during the Second World War in Finland, work was underway to create their own samples. So, on the basis of the L-39 anti-tank rifle, designer Aimo Lahti created a double-barreled 20-mm anti-aircraft gun 20 ItK / 40 VKT. In that weapons 20x138V shells were used, the same as in German and Italian machine guns.
Twin 20-mm anti-aircraft gun 20 ItK / 40 VKT in the museum exposition
The installation turned out to be heavy, its weight in combat position was 652 kg. The total rate of fire of the two barrels reached 700 rds / min. Ammunition came from box magazines with a capacity of 20 rounds. Transportation of the twin machine was carried out on a two-wheeled trailer. Due to the small road trailer and not very robust construction, towing could only be carried out on good roads and at a speed of no more than 30 km/h.
In total, the Finnish industry produced a little over two hundred 20 ItK / 40 VKT. Despite some shortcomings, the 20 ItK / 40 VKT anti-aircraft gun was liked by the Finnish military and remained in service until the mid-1970s.
Post-war anti-aircraft artillery
In 1958, sixteen 35-mm GDF-001 twin anti-aircraft guns and a Superfledermaus fire control radar were purchased from Switzerland. The units, which received the local designation 35 ItK 58, underwent regular repairs and upgrades. Now this weapon in the Finnish army is known as 35 ItK 88.
35 mm anti-aircraft gun 35 ItK 88 firing
Anti-aircraft installation 35 ItK 88 is considered to be quite effective and modern weapon. The fire is carried out by a 35-mm projectile weighing 535–750 g with an initial speed of 1–050 m/s, which makes it possible to fire at targets flying at an altitude of up to 1 meters. Installation 175 ItK 4 has a very good rate of fire for this caliber - 000 rds / min. The mass of the gun in the combat position is quite large - 35 kg, which requires an all-wheel drive three-axle tractor with a load capacity of at least 88 tons for towing.
The significant weight of the installation is associated with its high degree of automation and is explained by the presence of numerous hydraulic and electric drives and actuators that operate on commands from the central control panel without the participation of calculations. An autonomous optoelectronic aiming system with a laser rangefinder was introduced into the composition of the anti-aircraft battery of 35-mm guns, reloading of spare boxes and sending the projectile into the barrel occurs automatically, while the presence of calculations at the firing position is not necessary. The ammunition load of early models was 112 rounds ready for use. On later modifications, thanks to the use of an automatic reloading system, it was possible to bring it up to 280 shells.
In the 1960s, active military-technical cooperation began between the USSR and Finland. In 1961, the Finnish army received 12 Soviet ZSU-57-2 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns on the chassis of the T-54 medium tank, which served for more than 57 years under the designation ItPsv SU-30. In the early 1990s, they were put into storage, where 57-mm anti-aircraft self-propelled guns were until 2006.
ZSU ItPsv SU-57
The fire efficiency of ZSU-57-2 self-propelled guns, equipped with very simple sights, was lower than that of anti-aircraft guns equipped with gun guidance stations and anti-aircraft fire control radars. In this regard, in the 1980s in Finland, an attempt was made to modernize the ItPsv SU-57 by installing a radar and introducing projectiles with a programmable detonation. However, due to the high complexity and the reduction of the military threat, this topic was never implemented.
In 1975, Finland purchased twelve AZP-57 (S-57) 60-mm anti-aircraft guns and 3 RPK-1 Vaza radar and instrumentation systems on the Ural-375 chassis. The RPK-1 equipment provided automatic tracking of the target in angular coordinates and in range and could conduct an independent manual circular or sector search for a target at a distance of up to 50 km. The radar was interfaced with a television-optical sight, which made it possible to take on the escort of fast-moving air targets.
Anti-aircraft gun AZP-57 and RPK-1 "Vaza" in the Air Defense Museum in Tuusula
57-mm anti-aircraft guns had an effective range of up to 6 meters and a rate of fire of 000-100 rds / min, equipped with a set of ESP-120 servo drives for aiming in azimuth and elevation according to RPK-57 data.
The adoption of the S-60 anti-aircraft guns made it possible to withdraw 88-mm German-made guns from the air defense forces. An anti-aircraft division stationed in Turku in the southwest of the country was armed with Soviet 57-mm machine guns. Operation of the S-60 continued until 2000.
In the 1970s, Finland acquired 400 ZU-23 23mm twin towed anti-aircraft guns. In the Finnish army, they received the designation 23 Itk 61 and quickly replaced the old 20-mm machine guns. Due to the good service and operational characteristics, 23-mm installations are popular with the Finnish military.
In combat position, the ZU-23 installation weighs about a ton. The total rate of fire is about 1 rds / min. The range for air targets is up to 800 m, the reach in height is up to 2 m. An armor-piercing incendiary-tracer projectile weighing 500 g has an initial speed of 2 m / s and at a distance of 000 m normal is capable of penetrating 190-mm steel armor. A high-explosive incendiary fragmentation projectile weighs 970 g and contains 1 g of explosives.
As in other countries where the ZU-23 was in service, in Finland they were often installed on trucks. Such vehicles can be used both for protection against an air enemy when escorted by transport convoys, and for firing at lightly armored targets and manpower.
In the late 1990s, part of the Finnish 23-mm anti-aircraft guns was upgraded. They received a ballistic processor, thermal imagers and a laser rangefinder. This made it possible to more than double the efficiency. After the modernization of 23 Itk 61, they became known as 23 ItK 95.
Modernized 23 mm anti-aircraft gun 23 ItK 95
According to the Military Balance, the troops had 50 modernized anti-aircraft guns. Their total number, taking into account those in storage, can reach 300 units. Last fall, it became known that Finland transferred part of its 23-mm anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine.
In the mid-1980s, due to the obsolescence of ItPsv SU-57 anti-aircraft tanks and the failure of their modernization program, the command of the Finnish army began to look for a replacement. As a result, instead of a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun armed with two 57-mm machine guns with a clip-loader, in which target parameters were entered manually and determined visually, the ItPsv 90 ZSU (Ilmatorjuntapanssarivaunu 90 - an anti-aircraft tank of the 1990 model of the year) with two 35-mm Oerlikon guns and an automated fire control system. Due to the high efficiency of firing among the troops, this machine was named Marksman.
ZSU ItPsv 90
The ammunition load is 460 fragmentation and 40 armor-piercing sub-caliber shells with armor penetration up to 80 mm at a distance of 300 m. The maximum firing range for air targets is 4 m. The ceiling is 000 m. 3 m. Two 000-mm machine guns fire 400 rounds per second.
According to advertising data, a fighter flying at a speed of 1 km / h at an altitude of 200 m is destroyed with a probability of about 1% when flying through the affected area. According to expert estimates, the Finnish ZSU ItPsv 500 is close in its capabilities to the German Gepard A50.
At the time of creation, the tower anti-aircraft module, developed by the British company Marconi Radar and Control Systems together with Oerlikon Contraves, was equipped with a very advanced FCS, consisting of a combined Marconi 400 target detection and tracking radar, two gyro-stabilized optoelectronic sights with a Sagem VS 580-VISAA laser rangefinder. The combined radar, operating in the X and J-bands, is capable of detecting low-altitude air targets at a distance of 12 km and taking them for escort from 10 km. Also at the disposal of the crew of three there was an inertial navigation system SIFM.
A feature of the anti-aircraft tower module is the possibility of its installation on any caterpillar chassis suitable for carrying capacity. In Finland, Polish-made T-55AMs were used for this. Between 1988 and 1991, 10 anti-aircraft towers were received.
Compared to the base tank ZSU ItPsv 90 has become heavier. The mass of the vehicle in combat position reaches 41 tons. Diesel engine with a capacity of 620 liters. With. provides highway speeds up to 48 km/h. Power reserve - up to 480 km.
After 20 years of service, it became clear that the base chassis of the ItPsv 90 anti-aircraft tanks was outdated, and the turret modules needed to be repaired. In 2010, the possibility of overhaul and modernization of the fire control system was considered, but for financial reasons this was abandoned, after which all the vehicles were transferred to storage.
However, after the growth of international tension, they returned to the idea of modernizing anti-aircraft self-propelled guns. In 2015, the Finnish military magazine Panssari published a photo of an upgraded version of the ZSU on the chassis of the Leopard 2A4 tank.
The Marksman ZSU on the Leopard 2A4 chassis weighs 49 tons in combat position. On the highway, this vehicle is capable of accelerating to 72 km/h. Power reserve - up to 550 km. According to reference data, seven anti-aircraft towers are currently installed on the Leopard 2A4 chassis. Information about whether the hardware of the sighting and navigation complex of anti-aircraft modules was improved was not found in open sources.
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