The 152-mm howitzer "Msta-B" (GRAU index - 2A65) can be considered the last in a long line of post-war field howitzers of Soviet design. At the same time, much less is known about it than about the 152-mm self-propelled howitzer 2S19 "Msta-S", we can say that the towed version is in the shadow of the SPG. At the same time, both the 2S19 "Msta-S" (entered service in 1989) and the towed howitzer 2A65 "Msta-B" (adopted in 1986) were the most modern field artillery pieces of the Soviet Army, and now the Russian one.
Both artillery systems are still in service and are actively exploited. The artillery units of both systems (2A64 and 2A65, respectively) have the same design, the only difference is that the 2A64 has an ejector for removing powder gases from the bore after firing a shot. Serial production of the towed version began in 1987. Currently, the 152-mm Msta-B howitzer is in service with the Russian army, as well as a number of post-Soviet countries - Belarus, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Ukraine. Howitzers managed to fight during the second Chechen war, as well as the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine in the territory of Donbass. Also, artillery systems are used in Iraq, were purchased from Russia by the government of the country to fight ISIS and in Syria.
Msta-B towed howitzer
In the mid-1970s, the Soviet Union, almost simultaneously with NATO, realized the need for a radical modernization of artillery systems and the transition to a single caliber in the army and divisional level of ground forces. In the future, the place of guns of caliber 120, 130, 152, 180 and 203 mm was to be taken by a single artillery system of 152 mm caliber separate-case loading, being developed in towed and self-propelled versions, with a unified set of ammunition used. The new Msta howitzer, which had been developed since 1976 under the leadership of the chief designer GI Sergeev, was to become such an artillery system. Work on the creation of a new artillery system was carried out in the OKB PA "Barrikady" (today the Central Design Bureau "Titan") in the city of Volgograd.
According to the terms of reference received from the military, the Msta howitzer was supposed to be designed to destroy delivery vehicles for tactical nuclear charges, mortar, artillery and missile batteries, destroy field fortifications and other defensive structures, command posts and command posts, anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems, tanks and other armored targets, manpower and fire weapons of the enemy. The firing range was supposed to interfere with the maneuvers of the enemy reserves located in the depths of his defense. The howitzer was supposed to fire at both observed and unobserved targets from closed positions and direct fire, including operation in mountainous conditions. Despite the fact that the main goal of creating a new artillery system was superiority over foreign competitors, both existing and only being developed, the possibility of using old standard rounds of D-20, ML-20 towed howitzers, 2S3 self-propelled guns with the artillery system was again a mandatory requirement. and 2C5, with variable charges in both steel and brass sleeves.
The R&D complex for the creation of a new towed howitzer Msta-B began in 1976. The main goal of developing a new artillery system was: increasing the range of fire, increasing the vertical guidance angle, increasing the effective action of the projectile at the target, maneuverability and other characteristics in comparison with the D-1, ML-20 and D-20 howitzers, which were in service with the Soviet Army …
When developing a new howitzer, the main attention was paid to the issue of ensuring high accuracy of fire through constructive measures. The layout of the main units of the 152-mm Msta-B howitzer was implemented taking into account the stability of the disturbing moments that arise during firing. Even at the stage of designing and testing the weapon, the designers carried out a study to select the optimal combination of design and geometric parameters of the projectile, which ultimately made it possible to provide improved aerodynamic characteristics of the new high-explosive fragmentation projectile, as well as its stability on the trajectory, despite the significant length and long-range shape of the projectile. …
Howitzer "Msta-B" was equipped with a semi-automatic shutter, as well as spring-type rammers designed to send a projectile and a cartridge case, a hydraulic jack with a pallet for firing with suspended wheels, hydraulic anti-recoil devices with liquid-cooled recoil brakes, a two-speed screw mechanism of horizontal guidance and a two-speed vertical guidance of a sector type, an aiming device designed for firing from closed positions and direct fire, a pneumatic wheel braking system, beds with folding bipods and pedestal rollers.
Work on the creation of the howitzer was completed successfully, in 1986 a new artillery system was adopted by the Ground Forces of the USSR Armed Forces, serial production of towed howitzers began in 1987. Howitzers were produced by the Perm Machine-Building Plant (today Motovilikhinskie Zavody). In total, about 1200 such howitzers were assembled in Perm. For the development of the 152-mm towed howitzer Msta-B, a large group of design engineers from OKB PA Barrikady was awarded various government awards, and the work on the design of the artillery system and the shots for it was awarded the USSR State Prize.
In the 152-mm howitzer Msta-B, the following design solutions were successfully implemented:
- a three-chamber muzzle brake with an efficiency of up to 63%;
- a loading mechanism with a spring-loaded thrower of shells, cocked from the recoil parts, and a guide tray driven by the bolt;
- two-speed gun barrel guidance mechanisms, which provided vertical guidance angles up to 70 degrees and horizontal guidance at slopes up to 5 degrees;
- automatic shutdown of the suspension of the wheels when the beds are pulled apart.
The towed 152-mm howitzer Msta-B (2A65) was built according to the classic scheme for artillery guns. The howitzer received a monoblock barrel equipped with a three-chamber cast muzzle brake and a semi-automatic vertical wedge gate, barrel length - 53 caliber. Above the barrel were located hydropneumatic recoil devices (recoil and recoil brake with liquid cooling). To protect the crew (consisted of 8 people) and howitzer mechanisms from small fragments and bullets, the howitzer had an upper machine with a shield cover. There were also rotary (two-speed, screw), lifting (two-speed, sector type) and balancing mechanisms.
The lower machine of the howitzer received two box-section frames and a two-wheeled chassis. A special pallet was installed on the lower machine of the howitzer carriage, onto which the gun was lowered with the help of a hydraulic jack when the artillery system was transferred from the marching position to the firing position. At the ends of the box-shaped beds, auxiliary metal rollers were placed, with the help of which the howitzer could be turned to fire in any desired position (without changing the position of the howitzer beds, the angle was 55 degrees). In the vertical plane, the existing lifting mechanism of the upper machine provides guidance of the 152-mm Msta-B howitzer to the target in the range of angles from −3.5 to +70 degrees. To reduce the fatigue of the howitzer crew numbers and increase the rate of fire, it was equipped with two spring-type throw-type rammers for sending charges and shells.
When the howitzer is transferred to the stowed position, the pallet is lifted and attached to the barrel and cradle, and the beds are shifted and then connected to the towing device of the tractor. The Ural-4320 army off-road truck with a 6x6 wheel arrangement acts as a standard means of transporting the artillery system. The sprung wheel travel of the howitzer allows it to be towed along the highway at a speed of up to 80 km / h, and when driving over rough terrain - up to 20 km / h.
The ammunition load of the 152-mm towed howitzer Msta-B included several types of high-explosive fragmentation projectiles (including 3OF61 increased range, which has a bottom gas generator), radio jamming projectiles, cluster shells with high-explosive fragmentation elements and cumulative-fragmentation projectiles … Also with the howitzer can be used adjustable artillery ammunition 3OF39 guided weapons complex "Krasnopol" with laser target illumination. A crew of three can illuminate a target using a laser designator-rangefinder, which is part of the Malakhit portable automated fire control system. Small targets such as a tank can be illuminated from a distance of up to 4 kilometers at night and 5-7 kilometers during the day, larger targets up to 15 kilometers.
The maximum firing range of conventional high-explosive fragmentation projectiles is 24, 7 kilometers, and the 3OF61 projectile with a bottom injection gas generator and a long-range charge is up to 30 kilometers. The howitzer can be used with all types of separate loading shots, created for both the towed Msta-B and the 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled guns, as well as for earlier artillery systems of the same caliber - D-20 and ML-20 howitzers, 2S3 self-propelled guns. Acacia.
The performance characteristics of the Msta-B howitzer:
Caliber - 152 mm.
Weight - 7000 kg.
The maximum firing range is 24, 7/30 km.
Rate of fire - 7-8 rds / min.
Ammunition - 60 shots.
Projectile weight - 43, 56 kg.
The elevation angle is from -3 to +70 degrees.
The horizontal guidance angle is 55 degrees.
Standard tractor - Ural-4320 or MT-LB.
Transportation speed - up to 80 km / h (highway).
Calculation - 8 people.
