The AK-176 is a Soviet naval single-barrel automatic gun mount of 76.2 mm caliber. It was developed in the 1970s and adopted into service in 1979. It was produced at the Gorky Machine-Building Plant (Gorky / Nizhny Novgorod) from 1979 to 1996.[1]
Development History and Adoption into Service
Work on creating a universal automatic gun of 76.2 mm caliber began in the USSR in the late 1960s. The requirements for the new system — a light, universal platform for small ships and boats, intended primarily for engaging air and surface targets after the missile ammunition load had been expended, as well as in zones where missiles are ineffective — were finalized on September 30, 1969. By the end of September 1971, the Burevestnik design bureau (TsNII Burevestnik) had developed a design under the designation A-221.[1]
Design work and the manufacture of the prototype took until 1977: from April 14 to July 14, 1977, the prototype underwent firing trials at the Rzhevka proving ground near Leningrad. The mount was then installed on the ship R-5 (Project 1241.1) and underwent sea trials from January 23 to 30, 1979, in the area of the Baltiysk naval base. Following successful trials, the system in the AK-176-MR-123/176 configuration (the A-221 gun plus the MR-123 fire-control system) was adopted into service by USSR Minister of Defense Order No. 101 of July 22, 1979, under the designation AK-176.[1]
Technical Specifications
The combat weight of the mount is 16,800 kg, its length is 6,010 mm, and its width is 1,080 mm. Its height above the deck is 2,620 mm. The A-221 gun provides vertical elevation angles from −15° to +85° and horizontal traverse of ±175°. The rate of fire is adjustable: 30, 60, or 120 rounds per minute; the ammunition supply in the magazines is 152 rounds. The fire-control system is the MR-123. The crew is 2 to 4 people.[1]
The AK-176 was installed on small ships and boats of several projects: 133.1M, 1239, 206MR, 1234.1, 1241.1, 1241.2, 1124, 775M, as well as on ships of the "Parchim II" type (the export variant).[1]
Modernization
Over the course of operation, individual elements of the system were improved. The modernized version received the designation AK-176M. It includes the updated MR-123-02 fire-control system, equipped with a television sight and a laser rangefinder in addition to the radar; its range is 30 km under radio jamming and up to 45 km without it. The AK-176M received a turret with stealth features and has been offered to foreign customers since 2010. The mass of the mount in the modernized variant has been reduced by almost 7 tons compared with the original model. The system retains the ability to engage anti-ship missiles such as the Harpoon and low-flying cruise missiles.[1]
The Nizhny Novgorod Manufacturing Plant
Serial production of the AK-176 was carried out at the Gorky Machine-Building Plant in Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) from 1979 to 1996.[1] The plant, also known as the Nizhny Novgorod Machine-Building Plant, is one of the key enterprises of the region's military-industrial complex.
Sources
- valka.cz — AK-176 (76.2 mm universal cannon): Russia / Soviet Union (RUS / SOV)
- wiki.lesta.ru — 76.2 mm naval gun mount AK-176
- armedman.ru — AK-176 naval automatic gun mount — Armies and Soldiers — Military Encyclopedia