85 mm air defense gun M1939 (52-K)

85 mm air defense gun M1939 (52-К)
Type	Anti-aircraft gun Tank gun
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Service history
Wars	World War II
Production history
Produced	1939-1945
Specifications
Mass	combat: 4,500 kg (9,921 lbs) travel: 4,500 kg (9,921 lbs)
Length	7.05 m (23 ft 2 in)
Barrel length	4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) 55 Calibers[1]
Width	2.15 m (7 ft 1 in)
Height	2.25 m (7 ft 5 in)
Crew	7
Shell	85×629 mmR[2]
Shell weight	9.2 kg (20 lb 5 oz)[3]
Caliber	85 mm (3.34 in)
Breech	Vertical sliding-wedge
Recoil	Hydro-pneumatic[1]
Carriage	2-axle and 4-wheeled with outriggers
Elevation	-3° to 82°
Traverse	360°
Rate of fire	10-12 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	792 m/s (2,598 ft/s)
Effective firing range	10,500m (34,448 ft) (vertical range)
Maximum firing range	15.65 km (51,127 ft) (9.72 mi)

The 85 mm air defense gun M1939 (52-K) (Russian: 85-мм зенитная пушка обр. 1939 г. (52-К))^[4] was an 85 mm (3.3 in) Soviet anti-aircraft gun, developed under guidance of leading Soviet designers M. N. Loginov and G. D. Dorokhin. This gun was successfully used throughout the Second World War against level bombers and other high- and medium-altitude targets. In emergencies they were utilized as powerful anti-tank weapons. The barrel of the 52-K was the basis for the family of 85-mm Soviet tank guns. After the war some 52-Ks were refitted for peaceful purposes as anti-avalanche guns in mountainous terrain.

Virtually every country behind the Iron Curtain received this gun after World War II for their air defense. In the Soviet Union itself, these guns were largely superseded by the 100 and 130 mm guns.