Bofors 57 mm anti-tank gun

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	Weapon: Bofors 57 mm anti-tank gun Type: Anti-Tank Weapon Country of Origin: Sweden Year Adopted: 1943 Caliber: 57x385mmR Action: Breech-Loading Cannon Overall Length (mm): 4080.0 Overall Length (in): 160.63 Weight (kg): 975.00 Weight (pounds): 2149.51 Effective Range (m): 1500 m Effective Range (yards): 1640.42

The Bofors 57 mm anti-tank gun was developed by the renowned Swedish arms manufacturer Bofors in the late 1930s as an evolution of its earlier 37 mm design. Intended to counter increasingly well-armored vehicles, the gun was based on a scaled-up design and incorporated a longer barrel to increase muzzle velocity and penetration. Featuring a split-trail carriage and a semi-automatic breech, the 57 mm gun was designed to be relatively mobile and deliver a powerful punch against contemporary armored threats.

Production of the Bofors 57 mm gun was limited and primarily oriented toward export markets. While it never reached the same level of global adoption as the 37 mm variant, the 57 mm saw limited service with a few nations, particularly those seeking to bolster their anti-tank defenses in the early stages of World War II. The gun's performance was commendable against early- to mid-war tanks, but it was eventually overshadowed by more powerful anti-tank weapons as the armor thickness of enemy tanks increased.

Though it did not achieve the widespread notoriety of its smaller predecessor, the Bofors 57 mm anti-tank gun is notable for bridging the gap between light and medium anti-tank artillery in the pre-war and early war years. It reflected a critical step in the evolution of anti-tank weapons during a time of rapidly advancing armored vehicle development. Today, it remains a lesser-known but historically interesting example of Bofors' influence on interwar and WWII-era weaponry.