Here Is the Soviet Union's Secret Space Cannon

[DemolitionMan]

By Kelsey D. Atherton

Officially, space is a weapons-free zone. As spelled out in the United Nations Outer Space Treaty, the heavens beyond earth are to remain free of weapons, weapons testing, and fortification. Both the United States and The Soviet Union signed the treaty, but it’s hard for weapons inspectors to go to space to confirm. Rumored for decades, a 1970s Soviet space cannon was earlier this year finally revealed on Russian television.
Originally built for Russia’s Tu-22 Blinder supersonic bomber, the R-23 gun was mounted in the plane’s tail as a deadly surprise for any pursuing jet fighters. The gas-powered gun could fire 23mm rounds incredibly quickly. It’s a variant of this gun that made it to space, on board one of the Soviet Union’s Almaz military reconnaissance space stations.
Only after the fall of the USSR did Russian sources revealed that the cannon had actually fired in orbit. It happened on Jan. 24, 1975, onboard the Salyut-3 space station. Worried about how firing a giant cannon would impact the outpost itself, Soviet officials scheduled the test firing just hours before the planned de-orbiting of the station, and long after the departure of the crew on July 19, 1974. The outpost ignited its jet thrusters simultaneously with firing the cannon to counteract the weapon's powerful recoil. According to various sources, the cannon fired from one to three blasts, reportedly firing around 20 shells in all. They burned up in the atmosphere, too.




http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a18187/here-is-the-soviet-unions-secret-space-cannon/

[Mod8 added link]

[DemolitionMan]

By Kelsey D. Atherton

Officially, space is a weapons-free zone. As spelled out in the United Nations Outer Space Treaty, the heavens beyond earth are to remain free of weapons, weapons testing, and fortification. Both the United States and The Soviet Union signed the treaty, but it’s hard for weapons inspectors to go to space to confirm. Rumored for decades, a 1970s Soviet space cannon was earlier this year finally revealed on Russian television.
Originally built for Russia’s Tu-22 Blinder supersonic bomber, the R-23 gun was mounted in the plane’s tail as a deadly surprise for any pursuing jet fighters. The gas-powered gun could fire 23mm rounds incredibly quickly. It’s a variant of this gun that made it to space, on board one of the Soviet Union’s Almaz military reconnaissance space stations.
Only after the fall of the USSR did Russian sources revealed that the cannon had actually fired in orbit. It happened on Jan. 24, 1975, onboard the Salyut-3 space station. Worried about how firing a giant cannon would impact the outpost itself, Soviet officials scheduled the test firing just hours before the planned de-orbiting of the station, and long after the departure of the crew on July 19, 1974. The outpost ignited its jet thrusters simultaneously with firing the cannon to counteract the weapon's powerful recoil. According to various sources, the cannon fired from one to three blasts, reportedly firing around 20 shells in all. They burned up in the atmosphere, too.

 The weapon was installed in the front section of the station and in order to point it at the target crew had to change the attitude of the entire station. During ground test firing, the gun was able to split in half a metal container. At the same time, the firing caused considerable shaking of the station itself, therefore in-orbit tests of the weapon during manned operations were ruled out.

[DemolitionMan]

By Kelsey D. Atherton

Officially, space is a weapons-free zone. As spelled out in the United Nations Outer Space Treaty, the heavens beyond earth are to remain free of weapons, weapons testing, and fortification. Both the United States and The Soviet Union signed the treaty, but it’s hard for weapons inspectors to go to space to confirm. Rumored for decades, a 1970s Soviet space cannon was earlier this year finally revealed on Russian television.
Originally built for Russia’s Tu-22 Blinder supersonic bomber, the R-23 gun was mounted in the plane’s tail as a deadly surprise for any pursuing jet fighters. The gas-powered gun could fire 23mm rounds incredibly quickly. It’s a variant of this gun that made it to space, on board one of the Soviet Union’s Almaz military reconnaissance space stations.
Only after the fall of the USSR did Russian sources revealed that the cannon had actually fired in orbit. It happened on Jan. 24, 1975, onboard the Salyut-3 space station. Worried about how firing a giant cannon would impact the outpost itself, Soviet officials scheduled the test firing just hours before the planned de-orbiting of the station, and long after the departure of the crew on July 19, 1974. The outpost ignited its jet thrusters simultaneously with firing the cannon to counteract the weapon's powerful recoil. According to various sources, the cannon fired from one to three blasts, reportedly firing around 20 shells in all. They burned up in the atmosphere, too.

The weapon was installed in the front section of the station and in order to point it at the target crew had to change the attitude of the entire station. During ground test firing, the gun was able to split in half a metal container. At the same time, the firing caused considerable shaking of the station itself, therefore in-orbit tests of the weapon during manned operations were ruled out.

[DemolitionMan]

The weapon was installed in the front section of the station and in order to point it at the target crew had to change the attitude of the entire station. During ground test firing, the gun was able to split in half a metal container. At the same time, the firing caused considerable shaking of the station itself, therefore in-orbit tests of the weapon during manned operations were ruled out.

TheOuter Space Treaty of 1967 does not prohibit the deployment of conventional weapons in space, there doesn't seem to be any hurry to do it though, which is a good thing.

[Suppressed]

The gas-powered gun ...

They mean to say that the Rikhter R-23 is gas-operated.

[DemolitionMan]

They mean to say that the Rikhter R-23 is gas-operated.

Good Trivia question