AK-726

The AK-726 (abbr. of артиллерийский комплекс) is a double-barreled naval gun of 76.2 mm caliber, which was developed in the Soviet Union and is still in service in various navies.[1]

AK-726 on a Krivak class frigate.

History

In 1954 the Soviet Union began development of a naval gun which could be used against both air and sea targets. The gun was developed by the development office TsKB-7 (later Arsenal ) under the direction of S. Tjurin. The first tests began in 1956. From 1960, the guns were begun to be installed on ships and tested. The first gun was installed on the Grozny (Russian: Грозный), a Kynda class cruiser (project 58). A second was installed in 1962 on the Komsomolets Ukrainy (Russian: Комсомолец Украины), the first Kashin class destroyer (Project 61). The system was officially launched on June 24, 1964. The guns were exported to various Eastern Bloc states over time. Due to the small caliber and lack of effectiveness they were soon replaced by the AK-100.[2]

Construction

Description

The gun has two 76.2 mm caliber barrels. The projectiles are hand-loaded into an elevator from the ammunition chamber to the gun. The weapon has an automatic charging system. Both barrels fire simultaneously. This would achieve a theoretical rate of fire of about 100 rounds per minute, but is unsustainable. The barrels must be cooled a few minutes after 40 to 45 rounds of continuous fire. The cooling system is connected to the vessel's main water line.[3]

The fire control is carried out either automatically via a fire control radar type MR-105 Turel (Russian: Турель , NATO code: Screech Owl), semi-automatically with the Prisma optical sight, or manually. The gun can be used against air, sea or land targets. There are two different types of ammunition available; contact and non contact fuses.[4]

Technical Data
  • Caliber: 76.2 mm
  • Barrels: 2
  • Rate of fire: 40-45 shots / min
  • Range: maximum 15.7 km
  • Height adjustment range: maximum -10 ° / + 85 °
  • Muzzle velocity : 980 m/s

Platforms

References
  1. "АК-726 - 76,2-мм спаренная корабельная артустановка". www.kchf.ru. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
  2. DiGiulian, Tony. "Russia / USSR 76.2 mm/59 (3") AK-726 - NavWeaps". www.navweaps.com. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
  3. "Mornaričko naoružanje AK-726". MyCity forumi. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
  4. "On Target Alignment - AK-726". www.ontargetalignment.com. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
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