Friday 23 August 2013

VJa 14.5 mm Autocannon

CAMD RF 38-11355-806

"To the head of the Auto-armoured-tank Directorate

On the topic of experimental installation of the VJa 14.5 mm gun into a tank

Presently, in order to increase the penetration of German tanks and armoured cars, by the order of the Command of the Command of the Military Air Force of the Red Army, we are developing the VJa gun with a breech for a 23 mm casing and a barrel for the standard 14.5 mm round, the penetration of which is increased to 90 mm due to its increased speed.
The VJa 23 mm gun is already adopted by the VVS and is in production at NKV factories. As a part of the conversion to 14.5 mm, the barrel and receiver must be altered, which can be done at the appropriate transitions, which is easy to implement in mass production.
Based on the above information, we consider it possible to install a VJa 14.5 mm gun on a tank. According to our calculations, it is possible to install this gun in a light tank. 
We ask for your decision regarding the installation of a 14.5 mm VJa tank gun on a tank on one of your tank factories.

Inventors of the VJa gun
Volkov
Yartsev

July 28th, 1942"

The "light tank" in question was no other than the T-60 tank. Putting an aircraft autocannon on it was no new notion, as the TNSh gun it used was a modified ball turret version of the 20 mm ShVAK. However, this project was not to be. 20 days prior to this, Stalin himself put an end to the T-60 project, favouring new T-70 tanks, with real cannons on them. With APCR ammunition, those tanks could achieve as much as 100 mm of penetration, making this fancy experimental new gun unnecessary.

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