HISTORY
The D-74 is a conventional towed 122mm split trail field gun designed in the Soviet Union. It was designed in the late 1940’s to replace the 122mm A-19 field gun used during World War 2. The 130mm M-46 field gun was also designed to replace the A-19 and after extensive trails the M-46 was chosen over the D-74 as it had a longer range and fired more powerful ammunition. The D-74 saw limited use in the Soviet army but it was widely exported. The D-74 was produced in China as the Type 60 and in North Korea. Both models are similar to the original D-74.
DESIGN
The D-74 uses the same split trail carriage as the 152mm D-20. It can be easily distinguished from the D-20 as the D-74’s 122mm L/53 barrel is over a meter longer and much thinner than the 152mm L/34 ordnance. The D-74 fires a heavier 122mm shell at a higher pressure than the M-30 and D-30 resulting in a much longer range. The ammunition is of the separate loading type and uses variable charges. Besides high explosive fragmentation other types of projectile include armor piercing, smoke and illumination. A forward facing shield is fitted to protect the crew from small arms fire and fragmentation. The centre section of the shield slides upwards as the ordnance is elevated upwards. A circular firing pedestal is fitted in the center of the carriage between the two wheels allowing the D-74 to be quickly traversed a full 360 degrees. The D-74 is often towed by a 6x6 truck such as the Ural 375D and a unit of fire usually consists of 90 rounds.
PERFORMANCE
Overall performance
The D-74 is a great improvement over the A-19 it was designed to replace. The A-19 had a rate of fire of 3 to 4 rounds per minute while the D-74 manages 6 to 7 rounds per minute with a sustained maximum rate of fire of 75 rounds in the first hour. The D-74 can be traversed a full 360 degrees due to its firing pedestal, but not as quickly and easily as the D-30. The maximum firing range for the D-74 is 24 km, which is 4 km more than the A-19. Assisted projectiles are not available. The heavier and larger M-46 was chosen over the D-74 while it fires its heavier rounds 3 km further. The 24 km range may be slightly less than that of the M-46, it still outranges the US 105mm M101 and 155mm M114 howitzers employed by most Western nations at the time. Even the newer 155mm M198 is outranged unless rocket assisted projectiles are used. This allows the D-74 to be used at a safe distance from the front line and grants the ability to engage a wide variety of artillery pieces without the possibility of enemy counter battery fire.
Comparison with D-30
The D-74 is often portrayed as a very similar weapon as the Soviet D-30 towed howitzer. The D-30 is not a D-74 on a revolutionary triple leg carriage. Both weapons have very little design features in common. They were designed for a different role from the start. Even though both are 122mm weapons the ammunition is not interchangeable. The D-74 fires a much heavier shell at a much higher velocity. This results in the 24 km range which is much longer than the 15 km range of the D-30.
Service history
The D-74 was acquired in limited quantities by the Soviet Union. It was exported from the Soviet Union to a handful of Middle Eastern and African states. The production numbers in Asia ran higher than in the Soviet Union. The Type 60 was widely employed in China and exported to many Chinese allies, most of them in Asia and some in the Middle East. Russian and Chinese production have ceased for many years now although North Korean production may continue. Nowadays many pieces remain in service although it is more and more supplemented by more modern pieces of artillery. The D-74 and Type 60 have been used in several wars including the conflicts in Vietnam, the conflicts between Israel and the Arab states and it was used against India by both China and Pakistan. In all these conflicts its excellent range proved useful.
D-74DesignVariantsPerformanceUse
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