PanzerArt GB35-004 Rh-M 120 Gun barrel for Leopard 2A4 MBT

The Rheinmetall Rh-120 is a West German and now German 120mm smoothbore tank gun from the Cold War and modern times. The design work on the gun began in the 1960s, and its production started in 1974, but it can be assumed that it began to enter the Bundeswehr's armament on a large scale in 1979. The gun is produced in two versions: with a barrel length of 44 calibers (528 centimeters) and 55 calibers (660 centimeters). The weight of the gun, without the barrel, is 3,317 kilograms. The initial velocity of the shell fired from this cannon ranges from 1580 to 1750 m / s. The main reason for the commencement of work on the Rheinmetall Rh-120 gun was the introduction into service of new tanks in the Soviet Army (especially the T-64 and T-72), with a relatively high - as at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s - armor level. Of course, from the very beginning it was assumed that the main task of the new gun would be to conduct anti-tank fire over the longest possible distance. Attempts were also made to achieve the highest possible precision of the shot and the initial velocity of the fired projectile. These assumptions were actually fully met, and the Rheinmetall Rh-120 gun is still considered one of the best, if not the best, in its class in the world. In the 44-caliber version (L / 44), it is the basic armament of the Leopard 2A4 or the South Korean K1A1 vehicles, among others. The L / 55 version (a 55-caliber barrel) is the main armament of the Leopard 2A6. It is worth adding that it is also licensed in Japan or the USA.