Russia has always believed that "artillery is the king of war", however, in the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict, the Russian army's artillery has not achieved outstanding results.
2S35 "Soyuz-SV" self-propelled howitzer.
On the Internet, almost all of the ** about destroying the technical weapons of the Ukrainian army are covered by missiles and drones, and it seems that the Russian army's many self-propelled artillery and towed artillery do not have many opportunities to appear. Even if there were shots of artillery fire, they were fired from rear positions, and there was not much confirmation of the results. This kind of performance will inevitably cause controversy, and this article is a commentary written by the Russian military blogger "Greenland Diary", which I translated and edited to share with you.
The 2S35 "Soyuz-SV" self-propelled howitzer at the parade did not have a radar antenna in the front of the turret.
We often hear that a certain type of new ** is being tested in the army, and the current ** equipment is being modernized and upgraded through the introduction of technology. This kind of news can really get some people excited, and of course, we all want this to be done a little faster. Of all the most urgent development projects of the Russian army, perhaps the most anticipated is the 2S35 Soyuz self-propelled howitzer. This new generation of artillery system, which adopts maximum automation, should be able to fill one of the most serious gaps in the Russian army's long-range strikes - the problem of counter-battery operations.
The 2S19 "Msta-S" self-propelled howitzer is one of the main forces of the Russian army.
Its predecessor, the 2S19 "MSA-S" self-propelled howitzer, at one time was significantly ahead of most NATO counterparts of self-propelled howitzers and had strong combat capabilities on the battlefield. Its chief designer, Yuri Vasilyevich Tomashov, was one of the most famous experts in self-propelled artillery in the USSR, who was once awarded the Order of Lenin for his work. However, a full forty years have passed since the 2S19 was put into mass production, many technologies have made great progress, and the once best self-propelled howitzer of the Russian army is approaching the limit of performance.
The Russian military hopes that the 2S35 self-propelled howitzer will be able to reverse the disadvantage in long-range strike firepower.
The biggest problem of the 2S19 "Msta-S" self-propelled howitzer is that the maximum firing range of the guided projectile does not reach 40 km, and in this respect its performance has a significant gap with the American M777 ultralight howitzer, the French "Caesar" and the German PZH 2000 self-propelled howitzer. After entering the new century, in the face of NATO's eastward expansion, Russia's national defense pressure has been increasing, and the impact of the already backward 2S19 on the combat effectiveness of the Russian army has gradually emerged, the most prominent of which is the poor adaptability to high-intensity warfare.
Lancet "UAV.
It must be admitted that self-propelled howitzers still have significant advantages as long-range strike firepower. On the modern battlefield, UAVs such as the "Lancet" and the "Tornado-S" rocket launchers that launch guided rockets do have the advantage of high strike accuracy and have become the main force of the Russian army in combating Western artillery systems. However, this class of ** is significantly inferior to self-propelled howitzers for targets that suddenly appear at long distances.
It can also be seen from the 2S35 on the parade that it is constantly improving.
In fact, many years ago, the Russian Army realized that it needed a new self-propelled howitzer that could identify the most threatening targets, calculate the precise coordinates of enemy targets, deliver rapid strikes outside the enemy's range, and at the same time be able to quickly move away from enemy retaliation. In addition, this new self-propelled howitzer should become a truly automated system, which facilitates the operation of the vehicle group and has the maximum firing range of its class. For Russia, the development of such an advanced system will be a real technological leap.
Early Soyuz self-propelled howitzers had two barrels.
In 2013, everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the Devgorod Burevestnik Institute came up with the design indicators for this extremely complex project, however, there were doubts that such indicators could actually be achieved. Not to mention the fact that the "Soyuz" self-propelled howitzer uses two barrels, the performance claimed by the design team looks very outrageous, with a maximum firing range of 80 kilometers and a rate of fire of up to 16 rounds. It is possible to have its own reconnaissance radar and fire control system in raid mode**, and is equipped with a powerful navigation system, electronic reconnaissance equipment.
The 2S35 has a maximum range of 70 kilometers, an unmanned turret and a crew of only 3 people.
Even high-tech powers such as Germany and the United States may not be able to integrate all these systems into a self-propelled howitzer. Therefore, by today's standards, the 10 years it took to develop 2S35 is a normal thing. Especially considering that the combination of such a conservative type as a long-range body-barreled artillery with the latest scientific and technological achievements in the digital age makes the entire development process quite difficult. Especially after Russia suffered sanctions from Western countries in 2014, the development progress of 2S35 has been significantly affected.
Russia ** disclosed the 2S35 self-propelled howitzer on the production line.
In April 2022 and September 2023, there were at least two official reports mentioning 2S35 for combat testing. In October 2022, the Russian State Technology Corporation (Rostec), as well as the enterprise responsible for the 2S35 self-propelled howitzer, revealed in an official report that the entire state testing phase had been completed. According to TASS, the first batch of mass-produced 2S35 Soyuz-SV self-propelled howitzers has already been delivered to the active artillery units of the Russian Army.
The Russian army hopes that the 2s35 "coalition" will become a veritable "king of war".
The Russian military-industrial system suffered a heavy blow in the 90s of the last century, and then began a long period of recovery. If there is political will and an urgent need, the existing military-industrial system can be quickly mobilized and meet the needs of the Russian army, which has already been proven in the field of UAVs. The author hopes that something similar will happen with self-propelled howitzers, and if the past year can be called the "Year of the Lancet", then let the next year be at least partially called the "Year of the Union".
Translator's note:
The 2S35 took the extreme route from the very beginning of the double-barreled prototype, and although it later returned to a single-barreled design, the unmanned turret is still very interesting. When Russia was sanctioned by Western countries, electronic equipment and automation systems were severely affected. Now the mass production version of the 2S35 self-propelled howitzer has finally begun to be installed in batches, which can be used as a touchstone to test the strength of the Russian military-industrial system. On the front line of the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict, whether the 2S35 "Alliance-SV" can play its due combat effectiveness deserves our continued attention.
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