152mm SH-2 flechette projectile , Russia

**pzgr40** · 20th February 2021, 09:44 AM

Cutaway model of a Russian 152mm SH-2 anti personel flechette shell. It is fired from the 152mm D-20 howitzer and the 152mm 2S3 mechanized howitzer. This type of shell is nicknamed “Beehive shell” as after release of the thousends of flechettes from the projectile body, it sounds like a hive of bees flying out.
The projectile body is filled with flechettes, best to be described as nails with fins instead of a head. This particular projectile is filled with flechettes that are 39mm long and ø2,5mm dia. The “wingspan” of the fins is 5mm.
The body of the projectile exists of two parts; the top part and the base part. The base part contains the driving band and has an internal “seat” upon which the lower expulsion piston rests. The upper part is internally threaded in top to receive the fuze. The upper and lower part are connected by means of a fine thread.
The cargo load is made as one piece in the ammo plant. The upper hollow (aluminium) expulsion piston and the flame pipe are placed in a template with the inner shape of the shell. The flechettes are dumped in randomly , after which the space between the flechettes is filled with molten stearine grease (candle fat). The lower expulsion piston with the gasket (brown)on top completes the cargo load. A linnen bag containing the black powder expulsion charge is placed in the lower chamber in the lower projectile body, after which the cargo package is placed in the lower projectile body. The lower expulsion piston rests on the seat. A small linnen bag with a booster charge of black powder is placed in the upper expulsion piston after which the top part of the body is screwed on top of the the lower body part.

Mechanical time fuze DTM-75:
The mechanical time fuze clockwork is a nearly exact copy of the ZtZ.S30. The main difference can be found in the safe and arming mechanism below the clockwork A slider (1) is kept in inward position by a pin on a set back weight (2). In inward position the slider blocks a channel that allows the flame of the firing cap (3, red) to reach the booster pellet (4, green) that ignites the main ignition pellet (5, yellow) that ignites the black powder magazine (6).

The magazine (6) explodes, igniting the booster charge in the upper expulsion piston, sending a flame down into the black powder expulsion charge in the lower body. This charge will push the lower piston upward and the upper piston downward, up till a moment where the fine thread –connecting the upper and lower body- is ripped off, releasing the cargo of flechettes. The centrifugal force will disperse the flechettes into a conical pattern to the ground, seen from the point of ignition.

Here two movies showuing the 152mm D-20 Howitzer and the 152mm 2S3 mechanized artillery:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSS84...eature=related