OVERVIEW: The M-46 or M1954 field gun was a Soviet towed 130mm field gun.

DETAILS: The M-46 field gun was a towed 130mm field gun first seen by the West in 1954. It was an excellent weapon with exceptional range and anti-tank capability due to its long barrel. It had a 52 caliber length barrel, giving it a barrel length of 6.76m or just over 22 feet long. For many years, the M-46 was one of the longest range artillery systems in the world. The weapon fired traditional HE rounds, Armor-Piercing Capped (APC) rounds, smoke, illumintaion, and chemical rounds. Maximum range was 27,490m (15nm). An Extended Range Full Bore - Base Bleed (HEERFB-BB) round was later developed and had a range of 38,000m (20.5nm).

NOTES: The M-46 was deployed in 18-tube or 24-tube gun battalions of the artillery brigade organic to the Combined Arms Army or Tank Army. It was also assigned to gun brigades of either four 18-tube battalions or three 24-tube battalions belonging to the artillery division assigned to the Front. Due to its longer range, it was particularly suited for counterbattery fire. Battalions of M-46 were sometimes attached down to divisions as part of the Division Artillery Group (DAG). It was phased out in Soviet/Russian service and replaced by the 2A36 and 2S5. It was widely exported and was used during many conflicts and is still in use today with some armies. The North Vietnamese Army used the M-46 during the siege of Khe Sanh.

SOURCES: FM 100-2-3. Washington D.C.: Headquarters, Department of the Army, 1991 ; Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. "130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46)." Accessed November 16, 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/130_mm_towed_field_gun_M1954_(M-46)