Tanks

125 mm 2A26

Also known as
  • 2A26
  • 2A26 D-81T
  • D-81T
  • D81T
  • 125mm 2A26
  • 125 mm D-81T
  • 125-mm tank gun 2A26
  • 125-mm tank gun D-81T
  • 2A26M
  • 2A26M1
  • 2A26M2

The 125 mm 2A26, factory-designated D-81T, was the first Soviet 125 mm smoothbore tank gun to enter production service. Developed by the Artillery Plant No. 9 / OKB-9 artillery-gun line and produced by Soviet artillery plants, it armed early T-64A tanks and, in 2A26M2 form, early T-72 Ural tanks before the improved 2A46 family became the dominant Soviet 125 mm tank gun.

125 mm 2A26, 125 mm smoothbore tank gun, Tanks
Image source: Commons D-81T image 2
Conflict-Use Boundary

This record does not inherit conflict rows from T-64 or T-72 pages. The reviewed sources directly support the 2A26/D-81T identity, specifications, production context, and carrier-tank relationships, but they do not independently document the gun designation being used in a specific conflict.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
125 mm smoothbore tank gun
Service note
Late-1960s Soviet tank-gun generation fitted to early T-64A and early T-72 Ural tanks
Designer
Artillery Plant No. 9 / OKB-9 Spetstekhnika design lineage
Designed
1966 development period cited in specialist reference coverage; Wikimedia structured data gives 1968 inception
Produced
1967 into the 1970s in specialist reference coverage
Number built
Several thousand cited in specialist reference coverage
Developed from
115 mm U-5TS / 2A20 Soviet smoothbore tank-gun generation
Developed into
125 mm 2A46 / D-81TM tank-gun family

Specifications

Caliber
125 mm
Gun type
Smoothbore tank gun
Factory designation
D-81T
GRAU index
2A26
Barrel length
6.35 m / L51 in specialist reference data
Overall length
About 7 m in specialist reference data
Weight
2.5 t in Weaponsystems.net data; Wikimedia structured data lists 2,350 kg
Feed system
T-64-style autoloader for 2A26, 2A26M, and 2A26M1; T-72-style autoloader for 2A26M2
Ammunition format
Two-part separate-loading ammunition with semi-combustible propellant case
Barrel features
Smoothbore barrel with fume extractor; no muzzle brake; early 2A26 reference photos show no thermal sleeve
Barrel life
Less than 350 rounds for early 2A26; about 600 equivalent full-charge HEAT/HE-Frag rounds for improved 2A26M1/M2 in specialist reference data
Recoil system
Two asymmetrical buffers with 0.26-0.30 m recoil stroke in specialist reference data
Primary carriers
T-64A family and early T-72 Ural
Variants

Open references use 2A26 for the original D-81T production gun and distinguish later 2A26M/M1 and 2A26M2 improvements before the 2A46 / D-81TM branch displaced the family.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
2A26Initial T-64A gun

Weaponsystems.net describes the original 2A26 as the first production model fitted to the T-64A and notes a short early service life.

Sources: Weaponsystems.net 2A26

2A26M / 2A26M1Improved T-64A gun models

Reference coverage describes recoil-mechanism and barrel-life improvements for pre-1974 T-64A production.

Sources: Weaponsystems.net 2A26

2A26M2T-72-style autoloader adaptation

Weaponsystems.net identifies the 2A26M2 as a 1969 development adapted for the T-72 autoloader and introduced on the T-72 Ural in 1973.

Sources: Weaponsystems.net 2A26

Fitted Tanks

The 2A26 is retained as a tank-gun component because the public sources reviewed identify it through the tanks that carried it, not as a separate battlefield vehicle.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
T-64, Main battle tank, TanksT-64main battle tank

The T-64A used the 125 mm D-81 / 2A26 family with a two-plane stabilizer and autoloading system, marking the transition from the original 115 mm T-64 armament to the Soviet 125 mm tank-gun standard.

Sources: National Defence University T-64A, Weaponsystems.net 2A26

T-72, Main battle tank, TanksT-72main battle tank

Early T-72 Ural production is described with the 2A26M2 cannon before later 2A46-family guns became standard in T-72, T-80, and T-90-family vehicles.

Sources: Weaponsystems.net 2A26, Army Guide 2A46

Conflict-use scope

T-64 and T-72 records carry the conflict rows for tank employment. This component entry leaves conflictUsage empty until a direct source identifies 2A26 or D-81T use in a named conflict rather than only identifying a carrier tank.

Sources: National Defence University T-64A, Army Guide 2A46

Design And Loading Context

The D-81T/2A26 belongs to the first Soviet 125 mm smoothbore tank-gun step between the 115 mm U-5TS/2A20 and the later 2A46/D-81TM family. Public references describe it as a separate-loading ammunition gun tied to automatic loaders, with early T-64-style and T-72-style feed arrangements depending on variant.

Designation split

D-81T is the factory designation; 2A26 is the GRAU index used for the early production gun.

Weaponsystems.net lists both designations for the same early 125 mm gun family.

Ammunition format

Reference data describes two-part separate-loading ammunition with a semi-combustible propellant case.

This differs from unitary tank ammunition and made the gun closely tied to the carrier's automatic loader.

External recognition

The early gun lacked a thermal sleeve in the cited reference photos, while later Soviet 125 mm installations commonly added sleeves and improved recoil/barrel arrangements.

Use this as recognition context, not as a universal rule for every preserved or modified vehicle.

Source labels: Weaponsystems.net 2A26; National Defence University T-64A; Army Guide 2A46.

Timeline

125 mm 2A26 Key Events

  1. Development period cited

    Weaponsystems.net places 2A26 development in 1966 and identifies OKB-9 Spetstekhnika as the developer.

    Sources: Weaponsystems.net 2A26

  2. Production begins in reference coverage

    Specialist reference coverage lists 1967 as the start of 2A26 production by Plant No. 9 in Yekaterinburg and Motovilikha in Perm.

    Sources: Weaponsystems.net 2A26

  3. T-64A service context

    National Defence University of Ukraine lists the T-64A as in service in 1969 and describes T-64A, T-64AK, and T-64AKM tanks with the 125 mm D-81 smoothbore gun and 2E23 stabilizer.

    Sources: National Defence University T-64A

  4. T-72 Ural adaptation

    Weaponsystems.net describes the 2A26M2 as the T-72-style autoloader adaptation introduced on the T-72 Ural in 1973.

    Sources: Weaponsystems.net 2A26

  5. 2A46 family supersedes the early gun

    Army Guide describes the 125 mm 2A26 and 2A26M2 as preceding the 2A46 series, while Weaponsystems.net notes that the 2A46 replaced the 2A26 in much larger production.

    Sources: Army Guide 2A46, Weaponsystems.net 2A26

Media

125 mm 2A26 Images

125 mm 2A26, 125 mm smoothbore tank gun, Tanks - view 1
Source: Commons D-81T image 1
Related Weapon Systems
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Sources

Weaponsystems.net 2A26Publisher: Weaponsystems.net | Note: Supports 2A26 / D-81T identity, Soviet origin, OKB-9 and Plant No. 9 / Motovilikha attribution, development and production dates, variants, specifications, images, T-64A and T-72 Ural relationship context, and 2A46 successor context. | Accessed: 2026-07-06National Defence University T-64APublisher: National Defence University of Ukraine | Note: Supports T-64A service context, T-64A / T-64AK / T-64AKM fit with the 125 mm D-81 smoothbore gun and 2E23 stabilizer, and the later 2A46-1 upgrade note. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Army Guide 2A46Publisher: Army Guide | Note: Supports the 2A26 and 2A26M2 as earlier 125 mm smoothbore guns preceding the 2A46 series and notes the different vertical T-64 ammunition stowage versus later horizontal-feed arrangements. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Commons 2A26 categoryPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image category context and structured-data background for the 125 mm gun 2A26, including Soviet origin, Zavod No. 9 and Motovilikha manufacturer context, and 2,350 kg mass data. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Commons D-81T Saratov categoryPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports the gallery context identifying a preserved D-81T on a B-4 howitzer carriage at the Saratov Military Glory Museum. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Commons D-81T image 2Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports primary image provenance for a D-81T photograph by Villarreal9, published as own work under CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Commons D-81T image 1Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance for a D-81T photograph by Villarreal9, published as own work under CC BY-SA 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-07-06