Russia's unexpected artillery reveal: The return of the D‑74 cannon
Recently, a video has circulated on social media showing the Russians using a 122mm calibre D-74 cannon. However, the Ukrainian portal Defense Express notes that this weapon should not formally exist in Russian stockpiles.
The mentioned video featuring the D-74 cannon is the first of its kind since the Russian Federation began its aggression towards Ukraine. It's a unique situation because, in fact, the D-74s were produced in the 1950s, and several decades later, there were reportedly none of these weapons—not a single piece—in Russian warehouses.
Weapons that shouldn't be in Russia - but are
Defense Express mentions that the Military Balance 2023 report states that there were no D-74 cannons in the Russian Federation's arsenal at that time. About 2,000 units of M-30 howitzers, which date from a similar period as the D-74, were identified, yet there was no trace of the Russian video protagonist.
Furthermore, the Russians have claimed that before the 1980s, they sold D-74 cannons to countries with people's democracies. There's a particular nuance, however, as North Korea might have D-74 cannons because China manufactured them under the name Type 59. Therefore, there are two possible solutions to the mystery of this enigmatic weapon's appearance in Russia. The first possibility is North Korea's one-time support for the Russian Federation. The second is the likelihood that the Russians discovered "deep in the warehouses" single units of D-74—according to reports.
D-74 cannon
The D-74 122mm field gun was first introduced in 1955 when it entered service alongside the D-20 152mm guns and the M-46 130mm guns. This design differs from the older M1931 (A-19) model mainly by its longer barrel, measuring 52 calibres compared to 45 calibres in the M1931. This allowed the D-74 to achieve higher projectile muzzle velocities and range.
The D-74 could fire standard 122mm shells to a distance of up to 24 kilometres (15 miles), which was an improvement over the previous limit of 19 kilometres (12 miles). Despite this, it was later replaced by the M-46 gun, which could fire regular shells to a distance of 27 kilometres (17 miles).
Today, Russia largely depends on ammunition supplies from North Korea, where artillery systems of 122mm and 130mm calibre are prevalent. Although the D-74 is no longer widely used, it played a significant role in the development of field artillery.
