Various artillery systems of all main classes are being developed for the Russian army. In the future, a new model based on already known components may enter service. A few days ago it became known that the military department wants to receive not only self-propelled artillery mounts 2S35 "Coalition-SV" with 2A88 guns, but also a unified towed system.
The first reports on the plans of the military department regarding the further development of the "Coalition-SV" artillery complex were published a few days ago - on December 14. Izvestia has received interesting information from representatives of the Ministry of Defense. However, the exact source of the data was not named. An unnamed source in the ministry spoke about further plans for the development of barrel artillery, as well as the prerequisites for their appearance.
The Russian military continues to analyze the experience of the war in Syria, and based on this analysis, certain conclusions are drawn. Among other things, such conclusions affect the development of artillery. So, the Middle East conflict showed that in the category of 152-mm artillery systems of the army, not only self-propelled guns are needed. Such howitzers should also be produced in a towed version, which has its advantages in certain situations.
According to older plans, the promising 152-mm 2A88 gun was to be used only on self-propelled combat vehicles. First of all, the tracked ACS 2S35 "Coalition-SV" was developed. Also, work was carried out on a similar self-propelled gun on a wheeled vehicle chassis. Now plans have changed, and the family of artillery systems will be supplemented with a towed version of the gun.
A new project involves the use of a ready-made implement with new components, which should simplify and speed up the work. Thanks to this, prototypes will be brought out for testing next year. However, the Izvestia source has not yet specified the timing of the completion of the tests and the adoption of new howitzers into service. While most of the technical details of the project remain a mystery.
Only one possible feature of the project is indicated. It is argued that the 2A88 gun, when reprocessed for use on a new carriage, can get a shorter barrel. The reason for this revision may be the requirements for mobility and restrictions associated with the transportation or landing of the weapon.
Izvestia named the positive qualities of a promising towed weapon, which determine the very fact of the emergence of the project. The towed version of the Coalition should retain the bulk of the SPG's fire characteristics and combat qualities. The efficiency of fire and other parameters should remain at the same level. At the same time, a howitzer on a towed gun carriage will be easier to manufacture and cheaper. A sharp reduction in size and weight is also expected, although the weapon will need a tractor.
Reducing the mass will allow the howitzer to be thrown through the air. With the help of military transport helicopters of various types of weapons, it will be possible to quickly deliver to hard-to-reach or remote areas. The basic self-propelled version of the "Coalition-SV" system, for obvious reasons, does not have such an opportunity.
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Work on the project ACS "Coalition-SV" has not yet been completed, but a promising model of technology is already approaching its adoption. The military and industry are planning to complete the refinement of this sample and launch its full-scale serial production in the coming years. At the same time, or with a minimal lag, a new gun on the same base can go into the series. As decided by the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, the army needs new howitzers not only on self-propelled chassis, but also on towed carriages.
The technical details of the new project have not yet been published, but the available data on the Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled gun make it possible to present an approximate picture and try to understand what results the new work will lead to. From recent reports, it follows that the new draft towed howitzer will use the maximum possible number of existing components. However, it is not ruled out that finished products may be revised to obtain the required characteristics and capabilities.
ACS 2S35 is equipped with a 152-mm rifled howitzer 2A88. This gun has a 52-caliber barrel, equipped with a developed muzzle brake and an ejection device. In the case of a self-propelled gun, the barrel is installed on advanced recoil devices, hidden under an armored casing of a characteristic type. The design of the turret and gun mount allows firing in any direction with a wide range of elevation angles.
Howitzer 2A88 uses separate loading with variable modular charge. A projectile of the required type and several propellant charge modules - compact caps with a given amount of gunpowder - are sequentially loaded into the chamber. Self-propelled gun "Coalition-SV" received a fully automatic loading system. At the command of the crew, she independently extracts a projectile of the desired type from the stowage and sends it into the barrel, after which it sends the required number of charge modules next. The gun turret automatics are also capable of receiving shots from the ground or from a transport-loading vehicle.
You can imagine how the towed version of the 2A88 gun, required by the Ministry of Defense, will look like. Apparently, the barrel group and recoil devices can be borrowed from the existing self-propelled gun project. At the same time, for a new version of the gun, you will need a carriage of an original design or a product based on existing components. The appearance of the carriage has not yet been specified.
Currently, the Russian artillery units are armed with several samples of 152-mm towed guns. Such systems are based on traditional carriages. Carriages are used, consisting of two machines, equipped with a wheel drive and a pair of sliding beds. The upper gun carriage is equipped with mounts for sighting devices. The security of the calculation is ensured by the shield cover. A similar gun carriage, for example, is used by the towed gun 2A65 "Msta-B".
There is every reason to believe that the towed version of the 2A88 howitzer will not be equipped with automatic loading, as this will lead to an unacceptable increase in the size and weight of the structure. You will have to manually supply shells and charge modules to the gun. However, it is possible to use the chambering mechanism, which significantly facilitates the work of the loaders. One way or another, in terms of its rate of fire, the towed gun will be inferior to the self-propelled model.
The carriage of the new type, like other systems of this kind, will most likely have manual aiming mechanisms brought to the gunner's workplace. The latter will have to work with the "traditional" control and guidance systems inherent in existing towed guns. At the same time, the 2A88 towed howitzer can retain some of the SPG's capabilities."Coalition-SV" is equipped with means for interaction with the Unified Tactical Control System, which provides data transmission and target designation. Devices of a similar purpose, but in a different design, can also be used on towed guns.
According to open data, the maximum firing range of a "conventional" high-explosive fragmentation projectile for the ACS 2S35 is 40 km. The use of active-reactive ammunition, including guided ammunition, makes it possible to increase the firing range up to 70 km. Similar firing characteristics are achieved due to new modular propelling charges, as well as using a relatively long barrel.
A towed artillery system based on 2A88 can show similar or less characteristics. According to Izvestia's source, the new project may use a reduced-length barrel. Thus, a slight decrease in the muzzle energy of the projectile can be expected, resulting in a reduction in the maximum firing range. However, it should be noted that in this case, the 2A88 towed howitzer in its main characteristics will surpass most other artillery systems of its caliber.
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At the moment, the newest domestic serial self-propelled gun with a 152 mm gun is the 2S19 Msta-S combat vehicle. The troops also have a significant number of 2A65 Msta-B towed howitzers. Further development of domestic self-propelled howitzer artillery led to the appearance of the 2S35 "Coalition-SV" combat vehicle with a 152-mm 2A88 gun. Previously, it was assumed that the latter would be used only on a self-propelled platform, but now plans have changed, and the army wants to have both options for weapons.
Thus, it was decided to continue the development of artillery systems in accordance with previously tried and tested concepts. The command decided that both self-propelled and towed systems with unified guns should still be present in the artillery units. This should provide some combat and operational advantages. First of all, the presence of different weapons with different capabilities will allow solving a wider range of tasks.
Self-propelled artillery mounts have obvious advantages over towed guns. They have greater tactical mobility and are also capable of quicker deployment and withdrawal from a firing position. In addition, the self-propelled guns can be equipped with automatic loaders or even a full-fledged uninhabited fighting compartment. All this in a known way facilitates the work of the crew and increases the main characteristics and fighting qualities.
At the same time, towed howitzers also have advantages. First of all, it is a lower cost, which makes it easier to produce products in large quantities. Similar opportunities were used in the production of howitzers of the Msta family: the industry produced over 1200 towed 2A65 guns and less than 750 2S19 self-propelled guns. Smaller and heavier towed howitzers turn out to be more convenient from the point of view of transporting military transport aircraft. If necessary, they can be parachuted by landing or parachuting. Thus, towed guns can quickly arrive at positions inaccessible to self-propelled artillery.
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The result of all this is the actual requirements for artillery weapons, providing for the creation and operation of systems of different classes on different platforms. To effectively solve a wide range of army tasks, both self-propelled and towed systems are needed. Such theses have been repeatedly confirmed by practice, and again became relevant according to the results of the analysis of the Syrian war.
The development of howitzer artillery by creating self-propelled and towed systems continued until the appearance of the latest serial and combat systems at the moment. In the recent past, it was decided to abandon this approach, and the 2A88 gun was to be used only on self-propelled platforms. However, the experience of real armed conflicts has shown the fallacy of such a decision. The necessary measures have already been taken, and next year the newest domestic towed howitzer will be tested. In the distant future, it can become a convenient and effective addition to the Coalition-SV SPG.
