Munitions

OF-462

Also known as
  • HE-462
  • 53-OF-462
  • 53 OF 462
  • OF462
  • 122 mm OF-462
  • 122mm OF462

OF-462 is a Soviet 122 mm high-explosive fragmentation shell used as the projectile element in separate-loaded artillery ammunition. STV Group's current Nb 122 HE cartridges describe a HE-462 projectile equivalent to OF-462 for D-30 and 2S1 howitzers, CSG Defence identifies the original projectile as 53 OF 462, and OSINT-based defense reporting documented OF-462 rounds in Ukrainian artillery service during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

OF-462, 122 mm high-explosive fragmentation shell, Munitions
Image source: 122 mm OF-462.jpg

Role in Conflicts

2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Fire Support

OSINT-based defense reporting identified 122 mm OF-462 projectiles, including Iranian-made rounds for D-30 howitzers, in Ukrainian artillery service from September 2022; public sources did not confirm quantities, exact locations, or the transfer route.

Role details
Documented Targets

STV describes the cartridge family as a general-purpose 122 mm HE round for D-30 and 2S1 howitzers. The published use description emphasizes four recurring target sets.

  • enemy manpower in the open or in field-type shelters
  • passages through minefields and defense wire obstacles
  • counter-battery and artillery suppression
  • light armored vehicles and other equipment

Source: Ammunition 122 mm for cannon D-30 and 2S1 Gvozdika - STV Group.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
122 mm high-explosive fragmentation shell
Service note
Soviet-era 122 mm artillery ammunition

Specifications

Caliber
122 mm
Projectile class
High-explosive fragmentation shell
Loading
Separate-loaded ammunition
Projectile length
552-564 mm
Projectile weight
21.76 kg
Explosive filler
3.6 kg TNT
Fuzes
RGM-2; RGM-6; V-429
Propelling charges
Ž 9-1 full charge; Ž 10 reduced charge
Cartridge case
Fe/brass
Muzzle velocity (full charge)
690 m/s ± 7%
Muzzle velocity (reduced charge)
565 m/s ± 5%
Max range (full charge)
about 15,300 m
Max range (reduced charge)
about 12,870 m
Safe operational temperature range
-40 to 50 °C
A-19 velocity
765 m/s with charge no. 1
A-19 range
16,600 m with charge no. 1
Ordnance Recognition Context

Public 122 mm ammunition references use several closely related labels around this projectile. STV uses HE-462 for the projectile and states that it is equivalent to OF-462, while CSG Defence describes the HE projectile in its D-30 and 2S1 ammunition family as equivalent to the original 53 OF 462 developed in the former USSR.

Projectile identity

OF-462, HE-462, and 53-OF-462 references point to the same Soviet-pattern 122 mm HE-fragmentation projectile family in the cited manufacturer material.

Complete rounds

The projectile appears in full-charge and reduced-charge complete rounds for D-30 and 2S1 Gvozdika howitzers.

Sources: Cartridge 122 mm HE with full charge - STV GROUP; Cartridge 122 mm HE with reduced charge - STV Group; Artillery Ammunition - CSG Defence.

Variants

Current manufacturer pages and ammunition-family references treat OF-462 / HE-462 / 53-OF-462 as the projectile at the center of complete 122 mm HE rounds assembled with different propelling charges.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Cartridge 122 mm HE with full charge, 122 mm separate-loaded high-explosive cartridge, MunitionsCartridge 122 mm HE with full chargeFull-charge Nb 122 HE cartridge

STV's full-charge cartridge uses an HE-462 projectile equivalent to OF-462 with a Ž 9-1 propelling charge for the higher published velocity and range.

Sources: Cartridge 122 mm HE with full charge - STV GROUP, Artillery Ammunition - CSG Defence

Cartridge 122 mm HE with reduced charge, 122 mm separate-loaded HE artillery cartridge, MunitionsCartridge 122 mm HE with reduced chargeReduced-charge Nb 122 HE cartridge

STV's reduced-charge cartridge keeps the same HE-462/OF-462-equivalent projectile but uses a Ž 10 charge for lower velocity and shorter range.

Sources: Cartridge 122 mm HE with reduced charge - STV Group, Artillery Ammunition - CSG Defence

Firing Platforms

STV's current ammunition pages group OF-462/HE-462 with D-30 and 2S1 Gvozdika howitzers, and the older A-19 table also lists OF-462 with charge no. 1.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
D-30 122 mm howitzer, 122 mm towed howitzer, ArtilleryD-30 122 mm howitzer122 mm howitzer

STV says the full-charge Nb 122 HE cartridge is intended to be fired from 122 mm D-30 howitzers.

Sources: Cartridge 122 mm HE with full charge - STV GROUP, Ammunition 122 mm for cannon D-30 and 2S1 Gvozdika - STV Group

2S1 Gvozdika, 122 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer, Artillery2S1 Gvozdika122 mm self-propelled howitzer

STV groups the full- and reduced-charge Nb 122 HE cartridges under the D-30 and 2S1 Gvozdika artillery ammunition family.

Sources: Ammunition 122 mm for cannon D-30 and 2S1 Gvozdika - STV Group

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 OF-462 as a 122 mm howitzer shell fired with charge no. 1, with 765 m/s muzzle velocity and 16,600 m range.

Sources: A-19 ammunition table

Compatible Gun Systems
Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
ATS-59-122, Yemeni 122 mm tracked self-propelled artillery conversion, ArtilleryATS-59-122D-30-based 122 mm mount

Klüser identifies ATS-59-122 as an ATS-59 D-30 122 mm type, and STV documents OF-462 as the 122 mm HE shell family used with D-30 gun-howitzers.

Sources: Modelling vehicle history - ATS-59-122, 122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30), Cartridge 122 mm HE with full charge - STV GROUP

Variant Split

STV's current ammunition pages split the OF-462/HE-462 family into full- and reduced-charge cartridges. The projectile stays the same; the propelling charge and resulting ballistics change.

CartridgeChargeVelocityRange
Cartridge 122 mm HE with full charge, 122 mm separate-loaded high-explosive cartridge, MunitionsCartridge 122 mm HE with full chargeŽ 9-1690 m/s ± 7%about 15,300 m
Cartridge 122 mm HE with reduced charge, 122 mm separate-loaded HE artillery cartridge, MunitionsCartridge 122 mm HE with reduced chargeŽ 10565 m/s ± 5%about 12,870 m

Sources: Cartridge 122 mm HE with full charge - STV GROUP; Cartridge 122 mm HE with reduced charge - STV Group; Artillery Ammunition - CSG Defence.

Media

OF-462 Videos

OF-462 Images

OF-462, 122 mm high-explosive fragmentation shell, Munitions - view 1
Source: 122 mm OF-462.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
122 mm artillery round, 122 mm artillery ammunition, MunitionsMunitions122 mm artillery round122 mm artillery ammunitionThe 122 mm artillery round is a family-level label for Soviet-origin medium-caliber artillery ammunition used by D-30-type towed howitzers and 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers. Manufacturer and military references describe separate-loading HE projectiles with full or reduced propelling charges, while U.S. security-assistance reporting documents 122 mm artillery rounds among ammunition committed to Ukraine and TWZ reporting describes a pair of 122 mm rounds as a standard AQ-400 Scythe payload.
203 mm shells for 2A44 howitzer, 203 mm separate-loading artillery ammunition family, MunitionsMunitions203 mm shells for 2A44 howitzer203 mm separate-loading artillery ammunition familyThe 203 mm shells for the 2A44 howitzer are the Soviet separate-loading ammunition family for 2S7 Pion and 2S7M Malka heavy guns. Public references distinguish standard 3OF43 high-explosive fragmentation projectiles, 3OF44 rocket-assisted projectiles, 3O14 cluster shells, concrete-piercing and special-shell designs, plus current Russian OF43/OF44 use and Ukrainian 203 mm ammunition use in the Russia-Ukraine War.

Sources

122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30)Publisher: Wikipedia | Note: Supports the OF-462 FRAG-HE projectile entry, its 21.76 kg weight, 3.675 kg TNT filler, 690 m/s muzzle velocity, and the D-30 ammunition-table context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04A-19 ammunition tablePublisher: Wikipedia | Note: Supports the A-19 ammunition-table row showing that the gun could fire 122 mm howitzer shells and listing OF-462 at 21.7 kg, 3.67 kg filler, 765 m/s, and 16.6 km with charge no. 1. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Cartridge 122 mm HE with full charge - STV GROUPPublisher: STV Group | Note: Supports the full-charge Nb 122 HE cartridge, the HE-462 projectile equivalent to OF-462, the D-30 and 2S1 firing context, and the published technical data. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Cartridge 122 mm HE with reduced charge - STV GroupPublisher: STV Group | Note: Supports the reduced-charge Nb 122 HE cartridge, the HE-462 projectile equivalent to OF-462, the D-30 and 2S1 firing context, and the published technical data. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Ammunition 122 mm for cannon D-30 and 2S1 Gvozdika - STV GroupPublisher: STV Group | Note: Supports the D-30 and 2S1 Gvozdika firing context, the full- and reduced-charge cartridge grouping, and the intended target sets for the cartridge family. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Artillery Ammunition - CSG DefencePublisher: CSG Defence | Note: Supports the 122 mm D-30 and 2S1 ammunition-family context, the original 53 OF 462 projectile equivalence, the 3VOF5 full-charge and 3VOF6 reduced-charge round references, and broad current production context. | Accessed: 2026-07-04OWT artillery fuses shooting testsPublisher: OWT | Note: Supports the selected video context by identifying 2019 artillery-fuze shooting tests that used 122 mm OF-462 FRAG and OF-462 INERT ammunition fired from a 2S1 Gvozdika. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Ukraine's Involuntary Ally: Iranian Arms In UkrainePublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 122 mm OF-462 artillery rounds for D-30 howitzers being documented in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, with the first sighting listed in September 2022. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Ukraine Found an 'Exotic' Supplier of Ammunition for the D-30 GunPublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports Ukrainian artillerymen receiving 122 mm OF-462 shells for D-30 howitzers during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, while caveating that the cited video did not disclose time, location, or quantities. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Pakistan, Ukraine, And The Race For Third-Party AmmunitionPublisher: The War Zone | Note: Supports 122 mm OF-462 D-30 shells being seen in Ukraine and provides third-party ammunition supply context during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War. | Accessed: 2026-07-04122 mm OF-462.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the OF-462 shell drawing and its identification as a 122 mm projectile used in D-30 ammunition tables. | Accessed: 2026-07-04122-мм осколочно-фугасный гаубичный снаряд.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the museum photograph of a 122 mm OF-462 shell in the artillery museum collection. | Accessed: 2026-07-04Modelling vehicle history - ATS-59-122Publisher: Klüser | Note: Identifies ATS-59-122 as an ATS-59 D-30 122 mm type, supporting the compatible-with relationship to the D-30-fired OF-462 shell family. | Accessed: 2026-07-04