CN-105-57
The CN-105-57, also known as the D1504, is a French 105 mm tank gun of 44 calibre length.
| CN-105-57 | |
|---|---|
 An Austrian SK-105A2 Kürassier fitted with the CN105G1 gun. | |
| Type | Tank gun |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1957–present |
| Used by | Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, Israel, Netherlands. |
| Production history | |
| Designer | EFAB |
| Designed | 1957 |
| Manufacturer | ABS |
| Variants | CN105G1 (fitted with a muzzle brake and a thermal sleeve) |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1,210 kg (2,670 lb) |
| Barrel length | overall: 4.62 m (15 ft 2 in) L/44 |
| Shell | 105×528 mm. R |
| Caliber | 105 mm (4.134 in) |
| Recoil | hydrospring |
| Elevation | -8° to +12° |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Rate of fire | 8-12 rounds per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | 800 m/s with shaped-charge round 1430 m/s with the APFSDS round |
| Feed system | loaded by cartridge cylinders (or manually) and automatic rammer |
| Sights | M213 |
Use
The CN-105-57 was fitted to some variants of the French AMX-13 light tank and the widely used Austrian SK-105 Kurassier tank destroyer/light tank produced by Steyr-Daimler-Puch. Some of these vehicles were deployed by Qatar during the first Gulf War, and this is the only known combat use of this vehicle.
The CN-105-57 was fitted to the Israeli M51 "Super Sherman" tank and known locally as the CN-105 D1. Under this configuration, the gun saw extensive combat use in the 1967 Six Days War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War, scoring many victories in engagements with Syrian and Egyptian forces. In order to fit in the T23 turret of the M51, a larger muzzle brake was added to reduce the recoil length. The ammunition was a modified version of that used in the 105 mm Modèle F1 gun fitted to the AMX-30 MBT, using shorter cartridges cases. These were manufactured locally under license by Israel Military Industries.
Argentina also produced a similar version of this gun, similar to the Israeli version, for use on their Repotenciado upgrade of ex-British Sherman Firefly tanks, known locally as the L44/57 FTR 105 mm. Although these tanks still had the original smaller Sherman turret, the extended Firefly bustle gave enough space for the recoil within a limited elevation arc, but left a very cramped turret. Ammunition was sourced from Fabricaciones Militares.
Many Israeli M51s were sold to Chile in the 1980s and continued in use into the mid-1990s. Together with the Argentine Repotenciado, these represented the swansong of the Sherman series as a gun tank, more than half a century after entering service. By then, some of the individual base hulls were over 40 years old.