The Russian T-12 Anti-tank Gun | 100mm SMOOTHBORE SNIPER! 

My dad was a commander of an MT-12 gun around 88-89. He was stationed in Moldova, though he is from Moscow himself. I love my dad.

I was the truck driver, we used to call it Sniper, because it was so accurate at direct fire, and we called it Goat, cause that damn thing jumped as a goat every time you fired it, we tried everything,and nobody holds on to the laffete in combat conditions, as we were always on the front line. 🇭🇷But still a beautiful Soviet gun.

A 100mm cannon is always useful on the battlefield even if it's obsolete...

Is it old? Yes. Does it still work? Yes. Send it.

It's obselete but still gorgeous. Like a classic car or motorbike.

Quite the barrel on that gun, and the awsome recoil.

This gun as well as very few post-WWII AT guns(there were less of them designed then during the war. Apparently recoilless rifles took the main part of the niche) showcases how their design requirements are different from normal artillery. These guns need to be as low as possible to have small target profile, need to have a very wide horizontal traverse instead of vertical elevation and ideally should have a ranging rifle(which this one lacks). The fun part is that soviets also had 125mm one, Sprut-B if I recall right. And that both it and this one can use barrel fired ATGMs from their respective tank counterparts(yes, there is a 100mm barrel launched ATGM designed for rifled gun of T-55).

Fun Fact : its a 100mm T12 that partialy caused the collapse of the control tower of the Donetsk International Airport

Thanks for making this, it is hard to find videos on Russian equipment that aren't heavily biased for or against them.

The gun could even be outfittet with a radar. Originally the Soviets wanted it as a tank gun but the shells were too long for handling in a tank turret. An awesome piece and pretty much the crown of at-gun design. (Oh well, you said it, lol)

Russo-Ukro War, first days of the action, in Kherson City, Ukrainian Army used one of them to defend the West Bank of Dnieper river at the just exit of the Antonivka bridge, and left it abandoned when Russian forces succeed to overcome , which I spotted it at the photographs in the media

Btw this AT gun would be a cheaper alternative in static defense (like in Surovikin line) compared to literal tank. Even if it won't one shot tanks they still able to detrack them and massacre any IFV around. They can also pepper people with HE. Remember, cost of a gun+2 wheels will be cheaper than whole tank with gun,engine, armor, and tracks. (Trucks not included and even if it is, they will always be cheaper than whole tank)

These guns are good at clearing buildings from afar. Especially if track mounted

It is wrong to post a comment before I finish watching?

A beastly canon for beastly nation!

It would also probably make a very good coast defense gun

Thanks, love the Soviet artillery videos!!

I live in the city where this gun was developed. my friend's grandfather was directly involved in this. in his words, this gun is one of the most accurate guns of its time and the very first gun in the world with a smooth barrel

The Russians know a lot about artillery.

Something I don’t think I saw you cover, is that it could actually shoot barrel launched ATGM’s.

Blimey! That muzzle brake needs some work! The displacement of the emplaced gun is incredible! Also, no ear defenders?!

Interesting family story - this gun was invented by my grandfather Victor Afanasyev. For its time it was an ingenious weapon and is still in use. But it seemed that he was not impressed by the fact. He lived a long and modest life, loved math and remembered university math classes at the age of 85 to help me with it. Didn’t help though - I didn’t inherit his math talent 🥲

Like all of your videos, I learn a lot in terms of war doctrine, and changes in technology, thank you for keeping these videos accurate and to the point!

I love that the wheels speen from the recoil.

You have to have balls to face of a modern mbt with a WW2 style anti tank gun.

Can you review some old military toys again? I remember those videos gave me so much joy haha!

Nice work bro 🤙🏻

1:04 ouch that hurt, poor gunner, would leave marks for weeks 😭

Those DDR helmets are almost as good as the Fedayeen Saddam ones 😝😝

USSR made a lot of these and more than plenty of ammo, stockpiled all over the place. Successor states got them, so it makes sense to use it since you already have it. After all, 100mm shell still packs a good punch. As for indirect role, with drone fire correction, it will work fine. We see Russians do it even with tanks as old as T-55 all the way to newer ones (most of their tanks have indirect fire mode, especially the older ones and while their indirect fire aiming devices aren't good enough - once again, drone will provide corrections).

I didnt know this existed, thanks and cool

One supposed advantage - besides being available - on today's East Front is the flat trajectory which makes anti-arty radars' job harder,

Amazing piece of equipment very cool video.

There's some nice footage of the NVA I've not seen before.

There is a reason why large-caliber 150mm and 200mm howitzers exist and are popular, and almost no one wants to produce and use large-caliber anti-tank guns in combat. To begin with, I will say that in World War 2, the largest howitzers weighed about 5 tons, the same weight was a 105mm artillery cannon for firing from above to enemy positions. These are heavy non-anti-tank guns that are stationary in place, which people do not move around the field, but which can be transported by a massive truck with good power. In the regiment and in the battalion, they preferred to use guns much lighter. That is, at the forefront of the front, closest to 0, they tried to use guns of about 500 kilograms in weight, these are light towed 120mm mortars, 20mm anti-aircraft guns, 37mm anti-tank guns, and even light 75mm lelg mortars with a short barrel (they fired in a straight line at a short distance as guns against infantry and within the horizon of visibility a soldier at 3km like a mortar from above). These light towed guns were convenient. Did not fit into this 150mm SiG with a short barrel weighing 2 tons (it was kept only in the regiment as an infantry gun), a 105mm howitzer weighing 1,800 kg (2,500 kg) (these howitzers were listed in the artillery regiment), and a new anti-tank 75mm Pak 40 cannon weighing 1,500 kg (the American version was heavier than 2 tons). The point is that 1,500 kg of cannon is even more or less convenient for people to drag around the field and turn at an angle of 90. And guns weighing 2500kg and 3000kg are already heavy and they are almost stationary in conditions of snow and mud as 5-ton divisional products. Therefore, the Pak40 was preferred to be placed in an anti-tank division, the 105mm howitzer in an artillery regiment, and the 150mm Sig assault short gun was kept only in the regiment. In the battalions on the front line of the front, they preferred to have 500 kg of guns. If they used heavier guns, then from lack of alternative, extreme need, not because it is convenient, but because the combat situation forces them to do it. The towed paneter and firefly cannon would actually be stationary as a long 88 and it would need a panzer4 hull for mobility. The 100 mm rapira is jumping gun, it knocks down the sight and can injure a soldier by jumping. It should be heavier and rotate at 360 degrees, as it will be difficult to turn. The Americans calculated the anti-attack artillery with the help of reconnaissance aircraft and destroyed it with artillery. Or if, when moving columns of Shermans across the field, the 88th began to work on them and losses began, the tanks were quickly pulled back and artillery or aircraft worked at the place of smoke from the trunk of the ioi at the intended place from flashes or other things. A heavy weapon could not be removed quickly and therefore it was usually destroyed. It is probably understandable why there are no 150mm and 200mm anti-tank guns. A heavy anti-tank gun can be easily transported by truck and helicopter, it is cheaper and does not burn out with its land mines in the cabin body as it happens with a tank. But that's where all the advantages end. The gun is not mobile, it is difficult to turn it, and it is not suitable for shooting from closed positions at a long range from above. If detected by the enemy, it will remain in place until the arrival of an artillery shell or aircraft, or a shot from the bushes from a very long distance of an ordinary enemy tank. Tanks are more likely to be better suited for heavy 120mm and 130mm guns, a towed gun is more mobile due to trucks and helicopters, but it is difficult to predict where enemy tanks and storming infantry will go, it is difficult to disguise a gun from reconnaissance from the sky and imperceptibly and quietly move the weapon to another place. As for self-propelled anti-tank guns such as rhinoceros and slugger. That is, to have a heavy tank cannon, but bradley armor. According to statistics, in World War 2, the American military noticed that soldiers use such equipment much more often as a mobile cannon firing direct fire, that is, against houses, soldiers of fortifications, like a howitzer, but not from above but in a straight line. According to statistics, in World War 2, the American military noticed that soldiers use such equipment much more often as a mobile cannon firing direct fire, that is, against houses, soldiers of fortifications, like a howitzer, but not from above but in a straight line. Therefore, it is precisely the maximum penetrating power of armor at any cost that is not needed, balance, harmony and convenience are needed to help infantry battalions on trucks, and the convenience of interaction and communication with infantry.

Seeing a lot of people assuming this things only use is anti-tank, and therefore it is completely useless in modern warfare. Apparently the concept of direct fire artillery never occurred to them.

This thing is a monster in the video game 'Warno' set in a fictional cold war conflict in 1989. It's featured there as the Rapira, currently used by East Germans and Russians, but probably will see use by polish and Czech SSR forces when those units are added in. It's great because of its dual role as a ATGM firing piece and its ability to toss out conventional AP. When a viable penetratable target rolls within its AP range, the gun crew will target and fire AP rounds, when the target is outside that range or cannot be penetrated, they load and fire ATGM. It's good because its very cheap- about 5 or so less than a Konkurs-M infantry team, maybe only a little more than a Konkurs-M equipped BRDM, whilst also being a hard target to hit and benefitting from stealth. In Warno ATGM fire is the decisive force that all other engagements pivot on, so the soviets having cute ATGM-AT guns in their tank-tab really gives them an unexpected edge. Thing is, its AP rounds struggle with any medium/main battle tank, but sometimes the crew can figure they can 'just barely, maybe' penetrate the front armor of a nato vehicle, resulting in wasted time. It will also engage infantry with some success. Its greatest drawbacks are obviously its incredibly poor speed once deployed from an MT-LB, and its habit of struggling to follow and lead a fast-moving target. The crew needs to maintain visual on a target for several unbroken seconds; hard to do if the targets moving laterally in front of you. They're not really a replacement for a dug-in infantry set ATGM system in urban terrain, but in open ground, ideally set to cover key roads, they are a very useful little tool. Their ATGM in particular is what makes them valuable. So far PACT has a lot of AT gun ordinance, mostly old stuff like Zis-2, Zis-3, or D-44's, but they can be very nasty if deployed in concentrations with proper support. Naturally, the slow speed of things makes them total victims to tactical bombers.

Based Soviets developing based guns

I'll write what you haven't considered yet. Howitzers and cannons /howitzers for mounted shooting at long range also have great penetration. But they have separate charging. If we compare the experimental US tank rifled 105mm cannon and the 155mm howitzer/long Tom cannon, then Thomas's penetration with a CALIBER armor-piercing was greater than that of a 105mm CALIBER tank shell. 109 Paladin can also be given caliber shells against concrete or against steel. The howitzer can have both a cumulative and a uranium sub-caliber. Compare the 155mm carriage m40 and the 88 nashorn. Lighter, more shells, faster firing. Smooth guns are even better for cumulative and uranium bolts, in a howitzer they can be the same, but worse in efficiency. And one more thing. Howitzers and cannons are rarely used one at a time. This is usually a battery or a division. The modern battery has 110 soldiers, 8 self-propelled guns, 8 loading vehicles, command and transport armored vehicles together 5 units, trucks and jeeps 25 units. All this will stand idle or will be quickly destroyed. But all this also needs to be trained and equipped with shells and transport. The situation in the division is even more magnificent, there are more than 750 soldiers, about 30 armored transport vehicles of commanders and troops, 24 howitzers, 24 loading vehicles, about 180 trucks and jeeps. And they will only be trained on a 100mm rapier and receive a salary and equipment? To stand idly near the front line before being destroyed by aircraft and howitzer shells? Anti-tank large guns are rather the third specialty for 155 gunners and airborne cavalry, which will be used very rarely on the darkest day of the Titanic. In general, fuck paragraphs and fuck language rules and fuck turns of speech. Hehe.

Most weight of the gun presses down on the pair of tiny tires, this makes the gun bounces around like crazy and have to readjust sight everytime after shot. if this gun has front-legs like modern howitzers today that will be alot of improving 🤔

Nice. Matt, if left with an option, I could still find a use for the recoilless rifle, especially as a base defensive weapon or infantry light support. Take care

Nice video as always. Please do a video about 125 mm SPRUT-B.

True that gun is a beast.

Thanks matt

In my opinion, it’s a good secondary defence option and for breaking defence positions of surrounded enemy troops.

That recoil is insane for this small caliber.

I really like the MT-12, and I think they do, in fact, still have a place on the modern battlefield. Their role and use may be different, but they still pack a powerful punch, and there's no reason to dispose of a perfectly good weapon! If you haven't, I'd love to see you cover the L2 BAT/MOBAT/ConBAT/L6 WOMBAT 120mm recoilless rifle family from the UK. It's really interesting, and represents quite a wild period in British AT history!

I normally think of anti-tank guns as WW2 weapons. It's incredible to think that even after ATGMs became the dominant anti-tank asset on the battlefield the Soviets (and by extension the modern post-Soviet successor states) kept an anti-tank gun in service.

God forbid the target is moving. Imagine trying to aim that thing at a moving target and having to dive for cover before you fire it and the scope knocks your head off.

Wouldn't modern day offensive drones quickly deal with these guns when spotted ?

Regarding your mention of the 105mm Royal Ordnance L7. The Chieftain was equipped with the 120 mm Royal Ordnance L11.

Wow. This is that same 100mm cartridge the Russian navy mounts in an automatic gun for thier arctic patrol vessels. Impressive.

Damn that gun has some serious zip

AT cannons like this probably still have another few decade of use in island and mountain valley areas

all the best to you too!

Excellent rock technology

But i still love more 152Mm Gun:) That is true beast.

Big target, not as mobile, and I'll bet the range is less than other AT weapons. Maybe in versatility, it could engage targets other than armored.

Bucking Bronco beast

Can i put it on the back of my Toyota ?

BANG!

You can also see how cumbersome the thing is. These guns are way too big for an easy front line use these days without a motorised carriage.

I had a couple of this beauties in my arty battery and strongly disagree that in indirect fire it is not effective. Actually in the ongoing war it is used as howitzer (I've never heard about MT-12 engaging armor targets). It has it's limitations - 8200 meters of max range in indirect mode with HE round, but the precision is astonishing. We were able to hit a window of a dugout from second shot, or make a direct hit on ATGM team with no problem. The main problem is that there always was a shortage of HE rounds (because they were produced in small numbers). But semi-HEATs did a great job also, but they have even a smaller range of 6000 meters in indirect fire.

The guns has a lot of engineering areas that need improvement, 1- its requile system is not absorbing all the energy and the gun is jumping a a lot 2- the crew is completely venerable 3- the gun is huge

The Kalashnikov of AT guns. Everybody used it once.

My ears are ringing just watching this.

The British L7 105mm was never mounted on the Chieftain it had a 120mm main gun

Rapira is bad ass

2 batteries of 6 guns each one each side of a 90-degree angle covering a low area was Used in the battle Kursk to great effect. I would expect modern positions would be similar Mine fields to force maneuver into preset kill zones.

Big freekin gun!

Please make a video on Zorawar Light Tank recently unveiled

Безоткатные пушки действительно были неплохи, и используются до сих пор во всём мире. Однако по начальной скорости и бронепробиваемости всё равно уступают пт орудиям. У них преимущество это низкий вес и мобильность. При должной подготовке и сноровке, есть шанс подбить танк даже современного типа. Но только при стрельбе в борта. ПТ орудие Рапира может даже повредить современные танки, но тоже с определенными оговорками. Но зато БМП, и БТР поражаются на любой дистанции боя.

I have a 3BM2 APFSDS round made for this gun, its really cool, still searching for a casing tho, i dont know why you cant find any of them to buy.

😎👍

Single baffle?!!... I'M baffled!!

I love that particular period of the cold war when everything was essentially 'ww2 on big ramy levels of tren' Just a bunch of tactics, doctrines and stuff taken to their physical limits but still essentially the same as 44-45, before high tech really became the norm. Strv103, first 2 or so generations of jets when the Americans still used prop planes for CAS, grads, howitzers, battle rifles, all the good stuff that essentially ended during the Vietnam War. I dunno, I just love the whole 'what if ww2 kept going' feel to it. EDIT: oh hell yeah the centurion as well, fucking love that thing. Strv103 is like the stug taken to its logical extreme and the centurion feels like the culmination of British ww2 tank design... Which it is 😁

The Idea behind it is basicly good, getting a "Infantry carried Tank" (NO not the armor just the firepower). If you want an even bigger anti tank rifle. But this means it has to follow many Infantry ideas to be the 1 big Rifle operated by 6 men. 1. as flat and good hidable as a single Infantry man = T12 has a nice flat silouette, + 2. the mans which operated it, has to move it on the field = T12 is hard on the limit, maybe a tip over the limit for it (a point why the PAK 43/41, basicly a T12 in 88mm also did not performed well) 3. It needs the same barrel/gun as your MBT to provide the same punch and to make production of the weapon as well as the ammo simple and cheap 4. the weapon must be able to fire on mudy ground as well as on a perfect fine asphalted road, without murdering his crew by recoil. If the crew has to leave the gun for firing it is worthless to a level which not even the faster reload of a semi automatic breach can carry (check a Pack 40 here to understand what i mean, starting at 3:13 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-m9yecemugWo.html 7:30 "... try their best" a very British Idea of using such type of gun and for me as German, let me guess the point why it did not worked proper for British/American troops For such "stable" line defence you have to use AT-guns with "Kreuzlafette" means a 360° field of firing to prevent against far to easy flanking by the enemy. If you combine such prepared capability with a more limited unprepared (smaller field of firing) firing option and a fire power which is the sledgehammer while every one else fight with his fists, you get this : 1:52 -1:60 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aEF6X08jJL8.html and a Legend is born.

¨why does he go away from the sight?¨oh thats why

100mm shell & 63 calibers that is a loooong gun.

A useful addition on a battle field that can't be easy flanked. May fool an adversary to charge you like Rommel fooled the British into charging into his 88mm guns. An army not flying drones ahead of armored columns is suicidal.

Shells of this cannon go lower artillery-search radars so its harder to find this cannon while it's shooting.

Are there any of these Anti tank guns on trucks on track vehicles today?

Me personally i believe anti tank guns will stay due to the fact that its MUCH harder to intercept an APFSDS round than it is to intercept an ATGM thanks to their vast difference in velocities. They may be gone for now but when/if APS advances to the point of making ATGMs nigh useless i believe they will make a comeback. (Or just kinetic ATGMs like that on the LOSAT.)

Freaking round loooks like a scaled up 7.62x 54r! 😮😅

The T-12 served as the primary towed anti-tank artillery in the Soviet and Bulgarian armies from the early 1960s to the late 1980s.... And Russia calls its the best of the best....

Seen more AT guns than expected in Ukraine war. Lot of direct fire, anti infantry/bunker/APC/etc. They are extremely accurate.

Once you have fire a round you have to reset all as it moves so much that there is no way you kept your aim.

kinda wierd that they never mounted the gun ontop of the Mtlb then you have mobility with a good gun

I would be ripped apart by my old number 1 if that was the emplacement i had set up.

Даже если оружие морально, технически и как либо ещё устарело, если оно способно справлятся с поставленой задачей, если оно так же исправно убивает то что по ту сторону прицела то как минимум это хорошее оружие

Epic Vintage Field Gun Gaming Moments Sad Use Cool Boomstick

I love it, so essential and akin to soviet doctrine, i see this gun as the child of the Zis6 divisional gun. 107mm, used both as antitank and artillery, high armor penetration for the time, ammo and gun itself too cumbersome for being mounted on anything but a kv2 ( because i bet this t12 could have fitted on a kv2 turret). The design was refined on the T12 for improved effectiveness on armor and easy concealment/transportation, making the indirect fire just accessory. Deadly against leos and centurions yes, but to be honest beside that atgm, it wouldn't be fitted to engage second gen MBTs as effectively. It's only as good as it is cheap, and you can consider cheap many things, a gun crew that is rather easy to train is included... depending on armies philosophy of course. As of today... well it is a stationary target, good only as long as it is hidden, especially vulnerable to drones and modern guided explosive ammunitions... it's borderline useless, in an ambush you could make use of any antitank gun to shoot sides, and this is fairly bigger than it need to for that. i'd say around the dimension of a 17 pounder (around 6 m) is where an AT gun should stay to be concealable enough. Still you are in fact, because of the dynamics of modern wars, in grave danger.

Is field artillery still used?!

Never understimate this anti tank gun in WARNO lol

You should do a video covering guns and vehicles made for 37×252mmB. It's a Soviet round that they largely abandoned but which China and several other states still use. Russia's army jumps from 23×152mmB to 30×165mm to 57×248mmSR. There's nothing in-between. China also uses a 25×183mmB. Should Russia bring back 37mm?

Lol, it even craps out the casing with authoritAH!

very kino archive footage btw

Russia kicks ass.

I guess it kind of depends on how much you want to budget to stop tanks. Sure missiles are more portable and have a smaller battlefield footprint. But they are horribly expensive per round. Anti-tank rounds are relatively cheap. The real question is could you get the necessary kinetic energy without the large canon. Squeeze bores maybe? The Germans did use those in 40mm rifled guns in anti-tank roles early in the war. And the squeeze bore meant a jump in velocity. So I'm left wondering if a 40-50mm squeeze bore might actually put enough kinetic energy on target with a much lighter tube. Especially with a tungsten insert. With modern technology you could probably make it half the size of that beast and still make it work.

guided missles are expensive and complex items. Unguided missles, somewhat less so. An AT gun, while large and bulky, is a simple, and powerful weapon. Guided AT systems are subject to EW counter-measures. You cant spoof a high velocity AP shell.....