Before we get to the space gun itself let’s take a look at the base gun as it’s absolutely a unique autocannon, and a Space gun in its own right.
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The 23 mm R-23 is an electrically fired, forward ejecting, belt-fed, gas-operated, triple gas-system revolver cannon with four chambers firing telescoped ammunition.
Specifications
Country of origin: Soviet Union
Designed: 1957-1963
Designer: Chief designer A. A. Rikhter at KB Tochmash (OKB-16)
Rate of fire: 2500 RPM
Weight: 59kg/130lbs
Dimensions.
Overall length: 1468mm/ 58 in.
Max. Receiver width: 170mm/ 6.7 in.
Max. Receiver height: 165mm / 6.4 in
Caliber: 23x260mm. Airburst, Delayed Fuze HEI, Explode on impact HEI, Solid projectile and various experimental bullets.
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Mechanism.
The gun has three separate gas systems that operate different parts or the mechanism. One is responsible for ejection, another is for chambering new cartridges and the third one to operates the revolver mechanism.
The ammunition is fed into the gun from the right side by disintegrating links. And the ejection is done forward via an ejection chute on the right side of the receiver.
https://imgur.com/a/du7RAgJ
(You can see the revolver cylinder with electrical contacts on it in the back of the gun.)
(Elements of the gas systems.)
(Feed mechanism.)
It fires the 23x260mm telescoped ammunition that is fed rearward into the chambers. And relies on crimping to stay in the chamber. https://imgur.com/a/zpPcyNq
The R-23 cannon also has a unique automatic malfunction clearing system.
That is achieved by two pyro cartridges, each containing a small bolt. Which are designed to penetrate the dud cartridge's sidewall igniting the propellant and firing the gun.
Originally the R-23 was intended to primarily arm supersonic bomber aircraft, namely the Tu-22 Blinder, serving as a remote controlled tail gun. And by that the receiver and barrel are about the same length.
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The concept of arming spacecraft for whatever reason, defensive or offensive was a very Cold War idea.
As disabling and capturing spacecraft or probes in orbit for stored Intel and technology or even personnel, was also a very Cold War concept.
Either done by a probe retrieving spacecraft and even manned spacecraft. Astronauts or Cosmonauts conducting EVAs to achieve capture and potential retrieval back to their nation. That could result in battles in orbit and in the atmosphere as well.
The Soviets were especially paranoid about this.
(Space Shuttle Discovery deploying the Hubble Space Telescope.)
https://imgur.com/a/CHRSf5W
So the Soviets thinking was at that time that it might be a good idea to arm spacecraft and especially probes with some form of protection against that, preventing capture and blowing the person, or manned /robotic capture vehicle that wanted to tamper with their craft, to space trash, pieces of which may or may not smash into other space station or any space probe and craft later on.
As space debris and not just micro meteorites love to do sometimes. Sometimes poking holes through spacecraft and stations and damaging probes. Other times making miniature dents, not even that.
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From plane gun to space gun.
https://imgur.com/a/5mMMODy(Render by: Anatoly Zak from a time when only a few blurry images existed.)
https://imgur.com/a/isMvAKh (Images of the actual gun)
The R-23M was specifically modified for space-use, and lost about 9kg/20lbs of its original weight. The gun was chosen from a long running developmental program stemming from the mid-60s conducted in the same design bureau the original was designed at. KB Tochmash.
Earlier developments included at least a rapid firing 14.5mm cannon and perhaps even the similar to the R-23 in principle but larger in caliber Nudelmam-Nemenov NN-30. Known for usage in the AK-230 turret. https://imgur.com/a/lYGw0dz
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The R-23M was fitted onto the Almaz 2/Salyut-3, a cutting edge spy station, launched on June 25 in 1974. And was fired right before Salyut-3’s deorbit in January 25,1975.
(Salyut 3)
The crew had long left the station by that time and the station was remotely controlled. However it could have been aimed and fired on the station by the crew.
Interestingly the gun itself was not mounted on a turret, unlike on the Tu-22. So it had to be aimed via the stations positioning systems themselves. You will understand why!
(A different Almaz station.)
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Firing an autocannon in space.
Three firing cycles of the R-23M were conducted firing a total of 20 rounds. With the cannon positioned at the angle of travel of the craft. And with the stations main thruster activated to counteract the generated force. Probably the attitude control thrusters had to also do their jobs.
The gun worked flawlessly, it survived the entire lifetime of the station, 7 months in space. However the vibration and recoil effects were great even with the mitigating factors mentioned.
For this reason missiles were proposed for defensive weaponry on spy satellites and stations. We still don't know what was developed for that purpose and if it ever flew to space.
The existence of the R-23M and of course spy space missions were classified until after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
But perhaps not everything was de-classified.
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The R-23M still remains the only known Space gun ever fired in space. But guns have been taken to space, and even dedicated survival guns were issued as a result of several missions gone wrong and survival scenarios that resulted out if them. You can read about the guns and missions gone wrong as well as an insane re-entry, here : https://www.reddit.com/r/ForgottenWeapons/comments/1pt2asa/the_soviet_space_gun_and_the_history_behind_their/
Disclaimer: I have no control over those images and links from _imgur.com. In case _imgur.com or its would be successor site decides to reassign the links to someone else, the links might get replaced by something not relevant to this topic.
(Sources: russianspaceweb. com, Wikipedia, popularmechanics. com, weaponsystems. net, airwar .ru.)
https://i.redd.it/nw8jksschy9g1.jpeg
10 Comments
The only one we are aware of.
Hey guys, thanks for tuning in on another video on forgotten weapons dot com…
Cool post.. I always think of the movie Space Cowboys when thinking about space weapons for some reason
Do we know where the bullets that were fired ended up?
How did they deal with the recoil effect on the spacecraft?
It makes pew pew noises, right? Right?
I need the cores from this for my workbench
“Space Gun” by Guided by Voices: https://youtu.be/logjpKitcLo
And Moonraker came out in 1979. Coincidence? I think not.
And to think, the Soviets managed ~~all~~ most of their achievements while also being economically blockaded by most of the world because “communism is bad”….
it’s as if we’re social animals that work better *together.*