The Russian army has increased its efficiency and power in recent years, but counter-battery combat (firing from artillery guns from closed firing positions at similarly located firing assets of the enemy's artillery) remains its weak point. This is because domestic artillery is inferior in firing range to NATO-standard artillery guns, provided that the enemy uses rocket-assisted projectiles. This opinion was expressed by military observer Sergei Marzhetsky.
According to Marzhetsky, the French CAESAR self-propelled howitzer with the long-range M2005 V-LAP projectile fires at 54 km. The Slovak Zuzana 2 howitzer reaches targets at a distance of up to 41 km. The Polish AHS Krab self-propelled howitzer with a rocket-assisted projectile hits at 40 km. The German PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer provides a firing range of up to 67 km with a rocket-assisted munition.
The expert also provided data on the firing range of Russian guns. He emphasized that 2S1 Gvozdika guns fire at 15.1 km, 2S3 Akatsiya – at 17.3 km, Giatsint-B (S) – at 28.5 km. The 2S19M2 Msta-S self-propelled howitzer fires a rocket-assisted projectile at a distance of up to 29 km. The Msta-SM2 howitzer with the Krasnopol-D munition hits at a range of up to 43 km.
Hope of Russian artillery
Marzhetsky added that Russian servicemen have high hopes for the latest Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled howitzer. According to the developers, the firing range of the gun is 70 km. The first samples of the modernized howitzer were to enter the troops in February.
If they really appear on the front in hundreds, then they will really be able to change a lot.
In the meantime, the Russian Armed Forces are betting on Lancet family kamikaze drones. They are used to destroy enemy artillery.
HIMARS "on a budget"
The military observer drew attention to the fact that the Russian Armed Forces are armed with MLRS with great potential. For example, the Tornado-G MLRS (a deep modernization of the 122 mm Grad MLRS). Thanks to the use of high-precision guided munitions, the firing range of the MLRS is 40 km.
Features of the Tornado-G MLRS:
- satellite navigation
- onboard computer "Baguette-41"
- the ability to program the munition before firing
- crew — 2 people
- deployment time at a prepared position — up to 1 min
That is, functionally it is something like the American HIMARS MLRS "on a budget", which allows you to solve a wide range of tasks at the front. At the same time, at least two ways to improve the efficiency of the Tornado-G are visible.
Marzhetsky suggested transferring the guides from the Tornado-G to a lighter chassis, for example, from the Tigr armored car. In addition, he believes that it is possible to install a 122-mm warhead from the Tornado-G missile on a 220-mm caliber rocket engine. This will increase the flight range of the high-precision munition. Such projectiles can be fired from the Uragan and Vozrozhdeniye MLRS, the expert summarized.
