M-46

Also known as

130 mm M-46
M1954
130 mm towed field gun M1954
M-46 130 mm field gun
M-46H1
Type 59 130 mm gun
Type 59-1 130 mm gun
GM-45

The M-46 is a Soviet 130 mm towed field gun built for long-range counter-battery and field-artillery missions. Its high-velocity gun, long standard range, and licensed Chinese Type 59 branch kept the design in Iraqi, Syrian, Yemeni, Pakistani, Ethiopian, Russian, and Ukrainian conflict contexts decades after its first Cold War fielding.

Image source: 130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46).jpg

Role in Conflicts

Side: RussiaUkraine

Ukrainian forces received about 15 Croatian M-46H1 130 mm field guns in 2022, while Russian forces were documented reactivating M-46 130 mm guns in 2024 and firing them with scarce 130 mm ammunition, including DPRK-marked projectiles.

Role details

Side: Iraq

U.S. Army Sustainment Command identifies a Type 59-1 130 mm gun displayed at Rock Island Arsenal as a Chinese lightweight M-46 variant sold to Iraq and one of about 675 Iraqi-inventory guns during Operation Desert Storm.

Role details

Side: Iraqi government and security forces

A Marine Corps history of the 2003 invasion lists Type-59-1 and M-46 towed howitzer battalions among Iraqi 51st Division artillery around Az Zubayr that coalition shaping fires targeted before the 1st Marine Division crossed into Iraq.

Role details

Side: Syrian government and allies

Syrian government forces used locally mounted 130 mm M-46 guns on heavy trucks, including documented crew and ammunition imagery in 2015 and later reported operational use around Aleppo and eastern Hama.

Role details

Side: Yemeni government and Saudi-led coalition forcesAQAP and Ansar al-Sharia militants

M-46 130 mm field guns were documented in pre-war Yemeni Army stocks, and a Washington Institute report said AQAP cells and affiliated local forces secured M-46 howitzers from army bases during the March-April 2015 collapse.

Role details

Side: Pakistan

2019 India-Pakistan Border Skirmishes: Pakistani forces used 130 mm medium guns on the Line of Control during the 2019 artillery exchanges, according to a December 2019 Line of Control artillery assessment.

Side: Tigray forcesEthiopian government and allies

Oryx documented nine 130 mm M-46 field guns operated by the Tigray Defence Forces from photo or video evidence during the 2020 Tigray War; AP/Maxar reporting also documented an M-46 field-gun battery positioned by Eritrean forces near the Tigray border during the renewed 2022 offensive.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: Soviet Union; supplied to Ukraine from Croatian stocks
Built by: Motovilikha PlantNorinco
Built in: Soviet UnionChina
Type: 130 mm towed field gun
Service note: Early Cold War design; supplied to Ukraine during the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion
Designer: Factory No. 172 design bureau
Designed: Late 1940s
Unit cost: Not publicly reported
Produced: 1951-1971 in Soviet production
Number built: Several thousand produced in the Soviet Union

Specifications

Crew: 8 to 10
Caliber: 130 mm
Armament: One 130 mm L/58 gun
Weight: About 7.7 t in firing position; about 8.45 t with limber
Maximum range: About 27.2-27.5 km with standard rounds
Assisted range: More than 23 miles with assisted ammunition
Rate of fire: About 5-6 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity: About 930 m/s with 53-OF-482M ammunition
Mobility: Towed by truck; up to about 50 km/h on road
Projectile examples: High-explosive and illuminating projectiles

Ammunition And Range Context

The M-46's 130 mm caliber is central to both its range advantage and its modern logistics limits.

Standard reach

Open technical references put standard high-explosive fire at roughly 27 km, with assisted ammunition extending beyond that envelope.

Modern supply issue

Defense Express described Russian use in Ukraine as constrained by the unusual 130 mm caliber and tied June 2024 imagery to DPRK-marked 130 mm HE-fragmentation projectiles.

Projectile examples

Public references identify high-explosive fragmentation, armor-piercing, smoke, illuminating, and assisted-range projectile families for M-46/Type 59 service.

Variants

The catalog treats the M-46 as a gun family entry because directly documented conflict use includes Soviet-built guns, Croatian M-46H1 guns, and Chinese Type 59/Type 59-1 derivatives.

Variant	Configuration	Designation notes
Type 59	Chinese licensed M-46 version	U.S. Army Sustainment Command describes the Type 59 as the Chinese licensed version of the Soviet M-46. Sources: The Ordnance of Rock Island Arsenal: Type 59-1 Gun
Type 59-1	Lightweight Chinese variant	The Type 59-1 used a lighter Type 60/D-74-derived carriage and weighed about 1.4 tons less than the M-46. Sources: The Ordnance of Rock Island Arsenal: Type 59-1 Gun
GM-45	Chinese export designation	U.S. Army Sustainment Command identifies the GM-45 as the export version of the Chinese Type 59 line. Sources: The Ordnance of Rock Island Arsenal: Type 59-1 Gun
M-46H1	Croatian 130 mm field-gun variant supplied to Ukraine	Croatian M-46H1 guns were documented among Croatian artillery supplied to Ukraine in 2022. Sources: Croatia donates M-46 field guns to Ukraine, Arms From The Adriatic: Croatia's Military Support For Ukraine

Timeline

M-46 Key Events

Jan 1, 1950
Early Soviet fielding
U.S. Army Sustainment Command says the original M-46 was first fielded shortly after the Korean War began.
Sources: The Ordnance of Rock Island Arsenal: Type 59-1 Gun
Jan 1, 1954
Public Moscow display
The M-46 was publicly displayed at Moscow's May Day Parade in 1954, giving the weapon its common M1954 Western identification.
Sources: The Ordnance of Rock Island Arsenal: Type 59-1 Gun
Jan 1, 1991
Iraqi Type 59-1 inventory in Desert Storm
A Type 59-1 later displayed at Rock Island Arsenal is identified by the U.S. Army as a Chinese M-46 variant sold to Iraq and present in Iraqi inventory during Operation Desert Storm.
Sources: The Ordnance of Rock Island Arsenal: Type 59-1 Gun
Jan 1, 2003
Iraqi M-46 and Type-59-1 battalions targeted
A Marine Corps history lists Type-59-1 and M-46 towed howitzer battalions around Az Zubayr among Iraqi artillery targeted in the opening fire plan.
Sources: With the 1st Marine Division in Iraq, 2003
Jan 1, 2022
Croatian M-46H1 guns sent to Ukraine
Shephard and Oryx documented Croatia's transfer of roughly 15 M-46H1 130 mm field guns to Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion.
Sources: Croatia donates M-46 field guns to Ukraine, Arms From The Adriatic: Croatia's Military Support For Ukraine
Jan 1, 2024
Russian reactivation reported
Army Recognition reported Russian forces reintroducing M-46 130 mm towed guns in Ukraine as legacy artillery stocks were drawn back into service; Defense Express separately described imagery of Russian crews using M-46 guns with DPRK-marked 130 mm high-explosive fragmentation projectiles.
Sources: Russian Forces reintroduce 1940s M-46 130mm towed guns in Ukraine, Russian Military Use Rare Korean 130 mm Projectiles for M-46 Gun

Why It Stayed Relevant

Range gave it a long afterlife. U.S. Army Sustainment Command describes the M-46 as one of the longest-ranged guns of its generation, with about 17 miles unassisted and more than 23 miles with assisted ammunition.
The Chinese branch matters for conflict records. The Type 59 was a licensed Chinese version, while the Type 59-1 was a lighter derivative sold to Iraq and documented in Operation Desert Storm inventory.
Old stocks still mattered in modern wars. Croatia-supplied M-46H1 guns reached Ukraine in 2022, Russian M-46 reactivation was reported in 2024, and Syrian forces adapted M-46 guns to heavy truck chassis during the 2011 Syrian Civil War.

Media