An artilleryman revealed how crews of 240-mm self-propelled mortars 2S4 "Tyulpan" use the high-precision mine "Smelchak" against individual important targets. According to him, the heavy mortar receives target designation from a drone, which illuminates the object with a laser, after which the crew performs the firing mission.
The crew commander with the call sign Cherny said that in terms of guidance principle, "Smelchak" is similar to the guided projectile "Krasnopol". The drone detects the desired object and provides laser illumination, and the mortar crew uses the received target designation to hit the target.
Among the objects against which the munition is used, the artilleryman named communication nodes, command posts, and drone launch sites.
The combination of UAVs and a corrected 240-mm mine changes the nature of "Tyulpan" application: the reconnaissance drone not only searches for the target but also directly participates in guiding the munition. At the same time, the main advantage of the system is preserved – a large caliber, which allows the use of heavy mines against important and protected objects.
As previously reported, "Tyulpan" is capable of firing conventional mines at a range of up to 9 km, and active-reactive mines up to 20 km, which leave craters 3 meters in diameter. At the same time, the mass of an active-reactive mine reaches approximately 230 kg, which clearly shows why the 240-mm system remains a separate class of heavy artillery.