37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K)

37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K)
61-K in Saint Petersburg Artillery Museum
TypeAnti-aircraft gun
Autocannon
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1939 – present
Used bySee Users
Wars
Production history
ManufacturerPodolsk Mechanical Plant
Produced1939–1945 (USSR)
No. built20,000 (USSR)
Specifications
Mass2,100 kg (4,600 lb)
Barrel length2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) L/67
Crew8

Shell37 × 252 mmSR
Shell weight730 g (1.61 lb) Frag-T
770 g (1.70 lb) AP-T
Caliber37 mm (1.5 in)
RecoilHydro-spring
CarriageFour-wheeled with twin outriggers
Elevation−5° to 85°
Traverse360°
Rate of fire160-170 rpm
Muzzle velocity880 m/s (2,900 ft/s)
Effective firing range4 km (13,000 ft) (effective ceiling)
Maximum firing range5 km (16,000 ft) (maximum ceiling)

The 37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K) (Russian: 37-мм автоматическая зенитная пушка образца 1939 года (61-К)) is a Soviet 37 mm calibre anti-aircraft gun developed during the late 1930s and used during World War II. The land-based version was replaced in Soviet service by the AZP S-60 during the 1950s. Guns of this type were successfully used throughout the Eastern Front against dive bombers and other low- and medium-altitude targets. It also had some usefulness against lightly armoured ground targets.