Munitions

BR-471 122 mm armor-piercing projectile

Also known as
  • BR-471
  • 53-BR-471
  • 53-VBR-471
  • VBR-471
  • 122 mm APHE-T BR-471

BR-471 is a Soviet 122 mm armor-piercing high-explosive tracer projectile for the A-19 and D-25-family gun line. Identification references tie it to the A-19, D-25, D-25S, and A-19S weapons, while specialist armor writing describes BR-471 as the wartime standard armor-piercing round for IS-2 heavy tanks before the improved BR-471B began replacing it in 1945.

BR-471 122 mm armor-piercing projectile, 122 mm armor-piercing projectile, Munitions
Image source: D25T shells.svg
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
122 mm armor-piercing projectile
Service note
World War II-era Soviet artillery ammunition
Produced
1940s

Specifications

Caliber
122 mm
Projectile class
Armor-piercing high-explosive tracer projectile
Projectile weight
25 kg
Length
390 mm
Diameter
125 mm
Explosive fill
0.156 kg
Complete round
VBR-471 with BR-471 projectile and MD-8 fuze
Projectile shape
Pointed nose with no windshield
Compatible weapon family
A-19, D-25, D-25S, and A-19S 122 mm guns
Variants

BR-471B was the improved blunt-nosed successor to the earlier BR-471 projectile.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
BR-471B, 122 mm armor-piercing capped shell, MunitionsBR-471BImproved APBC successor

Tankograd says BR-471B began supplanting BR-471 in 1945 and replaced it entirely during the 1950s.

Sources: Tankograd T-10 BR-471 analysis

Firing Guns

Identification guides tie BR-471 to the A-19 and related Soviet 122 mm guns, including the D-25, D-25S, and A-19S family members where separate catalog records are not present.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
A-19 122 mm field gun, 122 mm towed corps gun, ArtilleryA-19 122 mm field gun122 mm field gun

The A-19 ammunition table lists BR-471 among the gun's armor-piercing shells.

Sources: 122 mm gun M1931 (A-19)

The Bullet Picker Kuwait UXO pocket book also lists BR-471 for A-19, D-25, D-25S, and A-19S weapons.

Sources: Unexploded Ordnance in Kuwait: The EOD Operator's Pocket Book

Projectile And Round Identification

BR-471 is easiest to interpret as part of a small 122 mm family: the projectile, the complete separate-loading round, and the later capped successor appear under similar designations.

DesignationSource-backed meaning
BR-471122 mm armor-piercing projectile with a pointed nose and no windshield.
VBR-471Complete AP-T round using the BR-471 projectile and MD-8 fuze.
BR-471BBlunt-nosed APBC successor that began replacing BR-471 in 1945 and fully displaced it during the 1950s.
A-19 / D-25 familyCompatible 122 mm gun family listed across the A-19, D-25, D-25S, and A-19S references.

Source labels: WW2 Equipment Data VBR-471 article; Tankograd T-10 BR-471 analysis; Unexploded Ordnance in Kuwait: The EOD Operator's Pocket Book.

Timeline

BR-471 122 mm armor-piercing projectile Key Events

  1. Wartime standard AP round

    Tankograd describes BR-471 as the standard armor-piercing round for IS-2 heavy tanks during World War II.

    Sources: Tankograd T-10 BR-471 analysis

  2. Improved BR-471B begins replacing it

    Tankograd says BR-471B began supplanting BR-471 in 1945, too late to see combat in Europe.

    Sources: Tankograd T-10 BR-471 analysis

  3. BR-471B displacement

    Tankograd says BR-471B replaced BR-471 entirely during the 1950s, and later T-10 sights were marked for BR-471B rather than BR-471.

    Sources: Tankograd T-10 BR-471 analysis

Media

BR-471 122 mm armor-piercing projectile Images

BR-471 122 mm armor-piercing projectile, 122 mm armor-piercing projectile, Munitions - view 1
Source: D25T shells.svg
Related Weapon Systems
D-25 122 mm tank gun, 122 mm tank and self-propelled gun family, ArtilleryArtilleryD-25 122 mm tank gun122 mm tank and self-propelled gun familyThe D-25 was a Soviet 122 mm gun family adapted from A-19-line ballistics for heavy tanks and self-propelled guns. D-25T armed the wartime IS-2 heavy tank and later IS-series vehicles, with directly sourced use on Soviet IS-2s in the Second World War, Egyptian IS-3M tanks in the 1967 Six-Day War, and captured Israeli IS-3 fixed bunkers in the 1969 War of Attrition. D-25S was the semi-automatic self-propelled-gun variant associated with ISU-122S, and the family used separate-loading A-19/D-25 ammunition including OF-471 high-explosive fragmentation and BR-471 armor-piercing projectiles.

Sources

Projectile, 122mm APHE-T, BR-471Publisher: Bullet Picker | Note: Supports the BR-471 designation, its APHE-T classification, and the description of it as a spin-stabilized, gun-fired projectile used against armored targets. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Unexploded Ordnance in Kuwait: The EOD Operator's Pocket BookPublisher: Bullet Picker | Note: Supports the BR-471 origin, dimensions, and the A-19 / D-25 / D-25S / A-19S weapon-family fit. | Accessed: 2026-06-29WW2 Equipment Data VBR-471 articlePublisher: WW2 Equipment Data | Note: Supports VBR-471 complete-round context, the BR-471 projectile's pointed nose and lack of windshield, and the MD-8 fuze association. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Tankograd T-10 BR-471 analysisPublisher: Tankograd | Note: Supports BR-471 wartime IS-2 service context, the 1945 BR-471B replacement timeline, and the pointed BR-471 versus blunt BR-471B design distinction. | Accessed: 2026-06-29122 mm gun M1931 (A-19)Publisher: Wikipedia | Note: Supports the A-19 ammunition table listing BR-471 as an armor-piercing shell and the published ballistic-table context for the round. | Accessed: 2026-06-29D25T shells.svgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the A-19 / D-25 ammunition plate that includes BR-471. | Accessed: 2026-06-29D25T shells.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the JPEG version of the A-19 / D-25 ammunition plate that includes BR-471. | Accessed: 2026-06-29