What is the earliest anti-aircraft gun in the world? Anti-aircraft guns are mainly used to attack air targets such as airplanes, helicopters and airplanes. It came into being during the First World War and opened a new chapter in air defense operations in the history of war. At present, although large-caliber anti-aircraft guns are gradually replaced by surface-to-air missiles, many countries still equip and develop a considerable number of anti-aircraft gun systems below 40 mm, and widely use multi-tube connections, equipped with radar or photoelectric fire control systems, and installed in a car with artillery and fire control.
The world's earliest anti-aircraft gun
The earliest anti-aircraft gun in the world appeared on the battlefield of 1870 Franco-Prussian War. At that time, Pu Jun troops surrounded the French capital. I never dreamed that I could easily win the French Pu Jun army. I never dreamed that the French army could get in touch with the outside world with balloons and organize troops to prepare for resisting the Pu Jun army. Therefore, Pu Jun began to develop an "anti-aircraft gun" that can hit balloons in the air. It wasn't long before Pu Jun successfully manufactured a new type of artillery. The new artillery made by Pujun can move flexibly, can be pushed by four-wheeled vehicles to chase targets, and can hit air targets from the ground. At that time, Pujun soldiers called it "balloon gun", which was actually the earliest anti-aircraft gun in the world.
Classification of anti-aircraft guns
Anti-aircraft guns are guns that shoot air targets from the ground. Usually it has the characteristics of long gun body, large muzzle velocity, large range, fast firing rate and high shooting accuracy. Most anti-aircraft guns since World War II are equipped with fire control systems, which can automatically track and aim at targets. Anti-aircraft guns can also be used to shoot ground or water targets.
Anti-aircraft guns are divided into towed and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns according to their motion modes. According to the caliber, it can be divided into small caliber, medium caliber and large caliber anti-aircraft guns. Small caliber antiaircraft guns with a caliber less than 60mm, medium caliber antiaircraft guns with a caliber of 60 ~ 100mm, and large caliber antiaircraft guns with a caliber greater than 100mm. Some projectiles of small caliber anti-aircraft guns are equipped with trigger fuses, which directly hit and destroy the target; Some are equipped with proximity fuses to destroy targets through projectile fragments. The projectiles of large and medium caliber antiaircraft guns are equipped with time fuses and proximity fuses, and the fragments of the projectiles cause damage to the targets. After 1960s, some countries gradually replaced large and medium caliber anti-aircraft guns with ground-to-air missiles. However, due to the blind shooting area of surface-to-air missiles at low altitude, small caliber anti-aircraft guns have been developed.
Anti-aircraft gun system
Although independent infantry weapons or anti-aircraft guns can also participate in air defense operations, but because the sighting system is not suitable for attacking high-speed, long-distance and irregular moving targets, and the attackers who attack the ground are usually protected by armor, anti-aircraft guns are generally not used to counter air targets in modern battlefields, but are combined with other technical equipment to form an anti-aircraft gun system. Modern antiaircraft gun system can continuously measure the target coordinates and calculate the shooting data all day, so that the gun can aim and shoot automatically. The self-propelled antiaircraft gun system consists of gun aiming radar, photoelectric tracking and ranging device, fire control computer and gun installed on the same car body. The towed antiaircraft gun system is generally composed of gun sight radar, antiaircraft gun shooting director, power supply device and multiple antiaircraft guns.
In air combat, the gun aiming radar of antiaircraft gun system searches, identifies and tracks the target according to the target information provided by the target indicating radar, measures the current coordinates of the target (oblique distance, azimuth and elevation), and continuously transmits them to the antiaircraft gun shooting director. According to the current coordinates and related parameters of the target, the director determines the position of the shooting advance point at the target, calculates the shooting data (advance azimuth, shooting angle and fuze value), and continuously transmits them to the gun servo device. The servo device drives the gun according to the shooting angle and orientation, so that the gun body is in the shooting position to shoot. The follow-up devices of large and medium caliber anti-aircraft guns also control the fuze measuring machine to set the fuze partition, so that the fuze can detonate the projectile to damage the target in time.
In World War I, optical rangefinders, radios and searchlights were used to fight against air with anti-aircraft guns. In 1930s, the shooting data were calculated by the mechanical simulation commander, and the shooting data were transmitted to the guns by cables, which shortened the transmission time and improved the shooting accuracy. During the Second World War, the anti-aircraft gun system, which consists of gun sight radar, electromechanical director and artillery, can determine the target coordinates under all-weather conditions and improve the accuracy. A follow-up device is added to the gun, which can aim automatically, eliminating the error of manual operation and improving the aiming speed. Since the 1960s, self-propelled anti-aircraft gun systems have appeared. Some systems use infrared, TV tracking and laser ranging, cooperate with radar to observe the target, and cooperate with multifunctional digital fire control computer to further improve the speed and accuracy of obtaining shooting data, further enhance the anti-interference ability and further shorten the reaction time.