On October 8, a conference dedicated to the past and future of Russian artillery was held at the Cultural Center of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The event was timed to coincide with the 630th anniversary of its appearance. As happens at such conferences, the matter was not limited to reports alone. An exhibition of new artillery systems was held during the event. It is worth noting that only models of promising guns and self-propelled guns were presented, but even they are of certain interest for those interested in this topic.
The least numerous were the layouts of naval artillery installations. On the available photo and video materials, one can recognize the A-190 "Universal" (caliber 130 mm), AK-176M1 (76 mm) and A-220M (57 mm) complexes. All new shipborne artillery systems combine a new approach to providing protection. So, the bulletproof and splinterproof armor of gun turrets is made of flat panels located at an angle to each other. This technical solution makes it possible to significantly reduce the visibility of the tower for radar stations. In the future, it is believed that such a design of artillery installations will help reduce the "visibility" of the ship as a whole. As for the characteristics of fire, in this area the naval artillery is almost close to the maximum capability. For example, the most powerful of the presented installations A-190 beats with a standard "blank" at a distance of about 21 kilometers. The height reach for this gun is 15 km. Other artillery mounts, with a smaller caliber, give lower performance. Further development of naval artillery systems will consist in updating the electronics associated with the weapon (detection and guidance radar, ballistic computers) and in the creation of new ammunition, including corrected ones. As the practice of using such projectiles for land artillery shows, a more expensive single ammunition ultimately costs significantly less than a large number of unguided ammunition, which are necessary for similar target destruction.
The topic of adjustable artillery shells was also raised in the context of land artillery. There is information about the creation of some relatively cheap guided ammunition for cannons and howitzers. If such a project really exists, then perhaps the future self-propelled guns "Coalition-SV" will fire, including such shells. At the exhibition, two models of this self-propelled gun were shown at once, differing from each other in the chassis used: wheeled and tracked. The gun turrets of both self-propelled artillery mounts are similar and are equipped with the same 152 mm howitzer. It is worth noting that at present the project "Coalition-SV" implies a more traditional way of creating an ACS than in its previous iterations. After a number of typical problems, the customer and the project contractor decided to abandon the idea of two guns on one machine. Therefore, the modern "Coalition-SV" is similar to previous self-propelled guns, such as, for example, "Msta-S". Representatives of the development organization - Central Research Institute "Burevestnik" - claim that the main differences between the new ACS and the previous ones are in the internal equipment. First of all, "Coalition-SV" is distinguished from other domestic self-propelled guns by an uninhabited fighting compartment. All loading and guidance processes are now carried out by automation, and the crew of the ACS is in a separate volume and has a particularly strong protection. In the case of a tracked chassis (apparently, it was not created on the basis of existing samples), three crew members are housed in a single control compartment located in front of the fighting compartment. Thus, during the battle, fighters do not need to be near potentially dangerous ammunition or spend energy carrying heavy shots.
The wheeled version of the "Coalition-SV" in its basic features is similar to the tracked one, however, it is based on a different chassis. Judging by the layout, an eight-wheel all-wheel drive truck of the KAMAZ-6350 family was used as a wheeled chassis. The appearance and layout of the wheeled mockup suggest that the entire calculation of such a self-propelled gun is located in the cockpit of the base car and from there controls the fire. When considering the wheeled version of the "Coalition-SV" self-propelled guns, the level of protection of the crew and weapons immediately catches the eye. Obviously, wheeled armored vehicles are usually not equipped with anti-cannon armor. However, a turret with a 152-mm gun is still planned for installation on a KAMAZ chassis. One of the main reasons for this is the long firing range. According to calculations, the "Coalition-SV" will be able to strike at 70 kilometers, which reduces the risk of being hit by return fire and completely excludes direct fire from the enemy. In addition, to increase the likelihood of survival of the self-propelled gun, a new firing mode called "flurry of fire" was created. The essence of this innovation is to shoot at a maximum rate and a constant change in the elevation of the barrel. Thanks to the correct combination of the sequence of shots and the initial angle of flight of the projectile, a unique effect is achieved: projectiles fired in a relatively long period of time reach the target almost simultaneously. "Flurry of fire" allows the self-propelled gun battery not to give out its position for quite a long time, which will allow it to withdraw from positions before the retaliatory strike.
Another interesting exhibit was the Tornado multiple launch rocket system. GNPP "Splav" from Tula is engaged in this project with the aim of maximizing the unification of the MLRS in service. Unification begins with a wheel chassis system universal for all modifications with the 8x8 formula. It is equipped with a unified fire control system and a universal launcher. The latter, depending on the need, can be completed with different packages of guides. Depending on the launch tubes installed on the combat vehicle, its modification is determined. The Tornado-G version is equipped with two launch modules with 15 tubes of 122 mm caliber each. In this configuration, the MLRS can use shells from the BM-21 "Grad" complex (hence the letter "G" in the name). The Tornado-U version carries two blocks of eight guides and uses 220-mm rockets from the Uragan MLRS. Finally, the largest-caliber modification called "Tornado-S" is equipped with only one block for six launch tubes. The small number of shells is compensated by their characteristics - Tornado-S uses 300-mm missiles of the Smerch complex. As a temporary measure, pending large-scale deliveries, an alternative version of the Tornado-G system was created, which implies the installation of a new weapon control system on the Grad combat vehicles.
Currently, domestic multiple launch rocket systems are capable of hitting targets at ranges from three to seventy-odd kilometers. The latest versions of missiles for the Smerch complex, for example the 9M528, are capable of flying at 90 km. The head of SNPP "Splav" N. Makarovets mentioned that there is a technical opportunity to further increase the maximum flight range of the "Smerch" missiles. The new threshold for the range is about 200 kilometers. True, Makarovets did not tell any details of increasing the range, which are of the greatest interest. The fact is that the United States already has experience in dramatically increasing the firing range of its M270 MLRS MLRS. To raise the range from the maximum forty kilometers for standard 240-mm shells, missiles of the ATACMS family are used. Instead of a standard launcher, another one is mounted on the M270 combat vehicle, for two larger-caliber missiles (about 600 mm). The latest versions of these missiles, in particular the MGM-168A Block 4A, are capable of flying at a distance of 250-270 kilometers. In fact, the M270 with ATACMS missiles ceases to be a multiple launch rocket system and becomes an operational-tactical missile system. From this comes quite obvious interest in the words of the director of the Splav enterprise: will the ultra-long-range missile for the Smerch be a real ammunition for the MLRS, or will they develop guided weapons similar to the Iskander under the guise of the latter?
In general, the exhibition at the conference dedicated to the anniversary of Russian artillery has clearly shown that the creation of new systems continues and has some success. Domestic artillery remains in the leading positions in the world and continues to develop. The models of promising and already under construction artillery systems shown at the exhibition demonstrated that it is too early to put an end to the history of domestic barrel armament and the promising ellipsis would be more appropriate.
