The 2B1 "Oka" is Soviet Union's answer to the US' Atomic Annie gun. They were falling behind technologically, which is why they decided to make their own version. It was developed at the height of the Cold War.
The 2B1 "Oka"
2B1 "Oka" is a Soviet-designed mobile, large-caliber artillery piece that is built to fire nuclear-tipped ammunition, according to Interesting Engineering. It was inspired by the the M65 cannon initial tests, which was also called "Atomic Annie."
The Soviet Union's Council of Ministers created a secret plan in November 1995 to develop their version of "Atomic Annie" with factories in different cities developed two new atomic munition delivery systems. They were the "Condensator-2P" and the "Oka 2B1 mortar.
Soviet engineers were tasked with developing a mortar that could shoot a 1,653-pound nuclear projectile to a range of up to two miles, which gave birth to the "Oka."It was also designed to be reliable, durable, and with a decent rate of fire. Additionally, it is mobile, which is crucial for this kind of machines.
The chassis was built by the Kirov Company by modifying existing technology to get the work done. They used the most capable Soviet tank, the IS-5 as the based for the Oka mortar.
The chassis came with 750-horsepower V-12-6B diesel engine. However, the engine could only muster around 125 miles because of the weight of the 55-ton gun to be mounted to it. In addition to this, the chassis was intended to be typical for the "Condenser -2P" and "Oka" mortars.
Then, they mounted the 65.5 foot long 420 mm gun to it with a kickback dampener to handle recoil, which was integrated to the main chassis.
Also Read: Rikhter R-23: The Engineering of Soviet Union's Space Weapon in the 70's
Was the "Oka" Successful?
The Soviet engineers tasked to build the gun was able to accomplish their mission. However, the weapon was proven to be impractical because its role could be filled with other forms of technologies, such as missiles. However, the 21B "Oka" is a vanity piece today.
In fact, during a demo in Red Square, only one person drove the mortar, while the rest of the crew only followed the vehicle. The demo definitely caused a stir among the crowd, but foreign analysts and journalists were less impressed with it. Some even claim that it was only an attempt to intimidate the Soviet's enemies instead of building a genuine war weapon.
To this day, even after the demo in Red Square three years ago, the four prototypes of 2B1 "Oka" were bailed from service.
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Written by April Fowell
