Πυροβόλα Άνευ Οπισθοδρομήσεως (ΠΑΟ)
Τα Πυροβόλα Άνευ Οπισθοδρομήσεως είναι τύπου ανοικτού σωλήνα, με τα προωθητικά αέρια να εκτονώνονται από το ανοικτό κλείστρο στο πίσω μέρος του σωλήνα μετά τη πυροδότηση του βλήματος. Ο συγκεκριμένος τρόπος λειτουργίας ελαχιστοποιεί την ανάκρουση - οπισθοδρόμηση του όπλου, μειώνει σημαντικά τις πιέσεις που ασκούνται στα τοιχώματα του σωλήνα και επομένως επιτρέπει την κατασκευή του από ελαφρά κράματα και έτσι τη μείωση του συνολικού βάρους του όπλου.
Τα ΠΑΟ Μ40Α1 των 106 χιλ. αποτέλεσαν τη δεκαετία του '50 και μέχρι την εμφάνιση των κατευθυνόμενων αντιαρματικών πυραύλων τα αντιαρματικά οπλικά συστήματα με το μεγαλύτερο διαμέτρημα. Αξίζει να σημειωθεί ότι το διαμέτρημα του όπλου ανέρχεται στην πραγματικότητα σε 105 χιλ., αλλά για λόγους ευκολίας διάκρισης από το αντίστοιχο των πυροβόλων του πυροβολικού προστέθηκε ακόμη ένα χιλιοστό στην ονομασία του.
Το σκοπευτικό του επιτρέπει βολή μέχρι τα 2.000 μέτρα κατά ακίνητου στόχου και μέχρι τα 1.100 κατά κινητού στόχου. Οι επιδόσεις διάτρησης μπορούν να φτάσουν μέχρι και τα 500 χιλ. επί ομοιογενούς χάλυβα, ενώ το πυροβόλο διαθέτει τυφέκιο επισήμανσης διαμετρήματος 0,50, που χρησιμοποιείται για την επιβεβαίωση της ορθής σκόπευσης και προσβολής του στόχου. Με απλά λόγια, ο χειριστής προσβάλει αρχικά τον στόχο με το φυσίγγιο των 0,50', εκτελεί τυχόν διορθώσεις και κατόπιν εκτοξεύει το κυρίως αντιαρματικό βλήμα.
Τα ΠΑΟ των 106 χιλ. φέρονται επί ανοικτών οχημάτων Μercedes 240G DV, κατάλληλα τρoποποιημένων για την εγκατάσταση του όπλου, των πυρομαχικών αλλά και των χειριστών του. Χαρακτηριστικά εξωτερικά γνωρίσματα των οχημάτων-φορέων είναι το χώρισμα στο τζάμι του οδηγού, απ' όπου εξέρχεται κατά τις μετακινήσεις ο μακρύς σωλήνας του πυροβόλου, καθώς και η μεταλλική πρόσθετη πλάκα προστασίας του διαμερίσματος του κινητήρα.
Η τελευταία τοποθετήθηκε για την προστασία του καλύμματος του κινητήρα από την εκτόνωση των αερίων του πυροβόλου, αφού σε αρκετές δοκιμαστικές βολές παρατηρήθηκε η καταστροφή της. Σήμερα, τα όπλα αυτά διατίθενται μόνο από επιστρατευόμενες μονάδες ή από επιστρατευόμενα τμήματα ενεργών μονάδων.
M40 Recoilless Rifle
The M40 recoilless rifle is a lightweight, portable, crew-served 105 mm weapon intended primarily as an anti-tank weapon made in the United States. The weapon is commonly described as being 106 mm, but it is in fact 105 mm; the 106 mm designation was designed to prevent confusion with the incompatible 105 mm ammunition from the failed M27. It could also be employed in an antipersonnel role with the use of the antipersonnel-tracer flechette round. It can be fired primarily from a wheeled ground mount. The air-cooled, breech-loaded, single-shot rifle fired fixed ammunition. It was designed for direct firing only, and sighting equipment for this purpose was furnished with each weapon.
The M27 recoilless rifle was a 105-mm weapon developed in the early 1950s and fielded in the Korean War. Although a recoilless rifle of this caliber had been a concept since the Second World War, the weapon was hurriedly produced with the onset of the Korean War. The speed with which it was developed and fielded resulted in problems with reliability caused by trunnions that were mounted too far to the rear. The M27 was also considered too heavy by the U.S. Army and had a disappointing effective range due to the lack of a spotting rifle. Taking the M27 as a the basis for a new design, the Army developed an improved version of the M27 that was in 1955 type-designated the M40 106-mm recoilless rifle.
Originally along with its type-designation it was also given the official name BAT for Battalion Anti-Tank gun, but that was soon dropped. Although unsuitable for military purposes, M27 recoilless rifles were used to trigger controlled avalanches at ski resorts and mountain passes in the United States. The M40 primarily saw action during the Vietnam War and was later replaced by the BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile system.
Description
The M40 is shaped like a long tube with a M8 0.50 cal spotting rifle above. The spotting rifle fires a round that flies like the 106 mm round and gives off a puff of smoke on impact with the target. On the left hand side, there is an elevating wheel, in the centre of which is the trigger wheel used to fine adjust the elevation and at the same time firing the spotting rifle when pulled, and the gun when pushed.
The M40 is shaped like a long tube with a M8 0.50 cal spotting rifle above. The spotting rifle fires a round that flies like the 106 mm round and gives off a puff of smoke on impact with the target. On the left hand side, there is an elevating wheel, in the centre of which is the trigger wheel used to fine adjust the elevation and at the same time firing the spotting rifle when pulled, and the gun when pushed.
The mounting is a tripod, but the front leg has a castoring wheel. On top of the mount is a traverse wheel. On the centre of the traverse wheel is a locking wheel, when the wheel is down, the rifle is locked in traverse, and can only be moved right and left with the traverse wheel. When the wheel is raised, the rifle can be traversed by hand. Austria produced a two-wheeled mount for the M40.
Ammunition
Ammunition for the 105 mm rifle was issued as one-piece fixed cartridges. The term "fixed" means that the projectile and the cartridge case are crimped together. This ensures correct alignment of the projectile and the cartridge case. It also permits faster loading because the projectile and the cartridge case are loaded as one unit. The rear end of the cartridge case is perforated, to allow the propellant gas to escape through the vented breech, thus neutralizing recoil. The projectiles used are pre-engraved, that is, the rotating bands are cut to engage the rifled bore.
Ammunition for the 105 mm rifle was issued as one-piece fixed cartridges. The term "fixed" means that the projectile and the cartridge case are crimped together. This ensures correct alignment of the projectile and the cartridge case. It also permits faster loading because the projectile and the cartridge case are loaded as one unit. The rear end of the cartridge case is perforated, to allow the propellant gas to escape through the vented breech, thus neutralizing recoil. The projectiles used are pre-engraved, that is, the rotating bands are cut to engage the rifled bore.
Types of ammunition included HEAT, High Explosive Plastic-Tracer (HEP-T), canister, High Explosive Anti Personnel, and the M368 dummy round which could not be fired and was used for crew drill. The original U.S. HEAT round penetrated more than 400 mm of armor. Near the end of the M40's service life, both Austria and Sweden produced HEAT rounds for the weapon capable of penetrating more than 700 mm of armor.
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