57 ItK 60

The "Nikolai" anti-aircraft gun was used to defend targets of national importance. They were first bought by the Soviet Union despite that the military really didnīt want them. This world war 2 design was obsolete already when they were bought. They were mainly bought to retain the politically good relationship to Soviet Union. Despite being withdrawn from service it still deserves a place in the sun, since it was used for more than 40 years in Finland. Even the last shots were fired during the 21th century. The picture below is from the original gun. The gun was however slightly modernized thru the years. Firing practices with the Nikolai were reportedly popular because of the impressive sound a 57 mm automatic weapon makes.


- Picture Đ Finnish Defence Forces

Calibre: 57 mm
Ammunition: 57 x 316 mm
Maximum range to airborne target: about 4 km (optical), 6 km with radar guidance
Firing rate: 105-120 rds/min maximum, 70 rds/min sustained
Weight of gun: 4.660 kg
Gun towed by medium all-terrain vehicle