122 mm D30 Howitzer

The 122 mm D30 howitzer is a wheeled, towed artillery piece with the ability of the ordnance to traverse through 360 degrees. The weapon is made from ordnance grade steel. The breechblock is a semi-automatic, vertical sliding breech type. The barrel is 38 calibres long and is autofretaged. The recoil system is mounted over the barrel. The barrel features a multi baffle muzzle brake and is towed muzzle first. The gun has three trails, the two outer ones spreading through an arc of 120 degrees when they are staked into position. The carriage is supported by two pneumatic tyres which are raised when the firing jack is lowered to the ground. The sighting equipment has provisions for the PG-1 Panoramic telescopic sight for indirect fire, the OP 4M-45 for direct fire and the K 1 collimator. The sights are missing. The howitzer is painted in a desert yellow camouflage scheme which is in poor condition.

Markings ' (breech block) 2A18; B209; 1971r; 01 NC 399, 1155 15; metal tag - 85 209;elevation gear - 2A18 C5-21 NA365; sighting equipment ' (Cyrillic ciphers) ' 726-45; 516, 1983r; 50 EBOE; OXO. 4; OTKP; recuperator test graph ' 2A18.

This weapon was one of a number of weapons taken by Australian special operations forces serving in Afghanistan in 2006. The weapons were originally secured in Camp Russell to be destroyed either on the firing range or as targets by the appropriate authorities.