The specialists of Uralvagonzavod demonstrated to a foreign customer the possibilities of interaction between the Msta-S self-propelled howitzer, modernized for NATO's 155 mm caliber (2S19M1-155), and the Orlan-10E reconnaissance drone, which made it possible to fire at the maximum available range of the gun.

This was reported by the press service of the state corporation "Rostec", which includes "Uralvagonzavod".

The show took place at the Prospector training ground in Nizhny Tagil.

“The foreign customer was shown the combat capabilities of the modernized 155-mm self-propelled howitzer 2S19M1-155 as part of the artillery complex.

The installation fired at a maximum distance of 40 km with the restoration of the aiming in automatic mode.

In addition, Msta-S has shown an excellent result of interaction with the control vehicle and the Orlan-10E unmanned aerial vehicle, the Rostec armament complex said.

It is noted that during the demonstration, the Orlan-10E drone transmitted the coordinates of the target to the control machine, which calculated the firing installations and sent them to the Msty-S crew.

The new standard

The modernized 2S19M1-155 self-propelled howitzer is a variant of the Msta-S gun, which uses NATO 155mm rounds instead of 152mm rounds traditional for the Russian armed forces.

In a commentary on RT, military expert Alexei Leonkov recalled that the development of the Msta-S began back in the 1970s and 1980s in the USSR.

“After the completion of military tests and improvements in 1989, it was adopted by the Soviet army ... In addition to it, Msta-B and Msta-K were created in parallel, but only Msta-S was adopted due to the relatively high indicators ", - said the expert.

  • Self-propelled artillery unit (SAU) "Msta-SM" during a military parade to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 on Red Square in Moscow

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  • © Ramil Sitdikov

In turn, the development of "Msta-S" for NATO ammunition began in the 2000s.

An experimental prototype of the new howitzer was manufactured in 2002.

At the same time, 2С19М1-155 was first presented to the general public at the international exhibition REA-2002 in Nizhny Tagil.

Even then, it attracted the attention of foreign participants with its impressive characteristics.

However, as with a number of other promising Russian weapons and military equipment, work on the Mstoy-S was then stopped due to lack of funding.

Work on the 2S19M1-155 resumed in 2011 after the receipt of a commercial offer for the supply of self-propelled artillery pieces on a 155 mm tracked chassis from the Indian Ministry of Defense.

From 2013 to 2015, the Msta-S in a new caliber was tested in the desert of Rajasthan and in the Himalayas.

For the first time, the combat capabilities of the 2S19M1-155 were demonstrated in 2020.

Rostec then noted that during the tests the howitzer hit all targets and performed all the planned maneuvers.

“This is a combat vehicle with powerful artillery weapons and running characteristics that are not inferior to modern models of armored vehicles.

It is equipped with advanced communications, satellite navigation, surveillance systems, ”said Viktor Kladov, Director for International Cooperation and Regional Policy at Rostec.

Promising weapon

2S19M1-155 is designed to destroy artillery and mortar batteries, tanks and other armored equipment, manpower, as well as command posts, defensive structures and other targets.

She can fire from closed positions, at observed and unobserved targets, as well as direct fire, including in mountainous conditions.

In addition to 155 mm NATO standard rounds, the howitzer can fire guided Krasnopol-M rounds, which are capable of hitting small targets at a distance of up to 17 km.

The guidance and fire control system ASUNO allows to automate the calculation of settings for firing, aiming the gun, its recovery after a shot, and also ensures the implementation of anti-fire maneuvers with autonomous determination of the current coordinates.

  • Self-propelled artillery unit (ACS) "Msta-S" during a dynamic display of weapons, military and special equipment in the framework of the International Military-Technical Forum (IMTF) "Army-2020" at the "Alabino" training ground in the Moscow region

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  • © Grigory Sysoev

According to Rosoboronexport, the use of ASUNO makes it possible to reduce the deployment time of a self-propelled howitzer in a firing position by one and a half to two times, increase the readiness to open fire by 25-30% and double its survivability.

"Msta-S" 155 mm caliber can hit targets at a distance of 41 km, the firing range may vary depending on the type of shells used.

The rate of fire of the howitzer is from 6 to 8 rounds per minute with 45 rounds of ammunition.

At the same time, it is equipped with an original mechanism for feeding projectiles from the ground, which allows you to fire at a high rate without the expense of the ammunition being transported.

The vehicle weighs 43 tons, which is the smallest weight in the class of 155 mm self-propelled howitzers with a 52 caliber barrel length.

12-cylinder diesel engine up to 840 hp

allows you to reach speeds of up to 60 km / h.

The chassis of the Msta-S howitzer with a caliber of 155 mm is made using nodes from the main battle tank T-90 and allows the vehicle to overcome water obstacles up to 5 m deep and up to 1 km wide.

UAV "Orlan-10E", in cooperation with which "Msta-S" works, is a multifunctional complex for conducting aerial reconnaissance.

It can be used to detect targets at any time of the day and in difficult weather conditions, and is also capable of detecting and identifying GSM base stations and cellular communication networks.

This complex provides high accuracy in determining the coordinates of targets, has high autonomy and mobility, and has a closed communication channel, which ensures its stable control.

Alexey Leonkov, in an interview with RT, noted that in the conditions of modern hostilities, the use of such complexes in combination with barrel artillery becomes necessary.

"In this case, the UAV plays one of the key roles: reconnoitering targets and transmitting them in real time, after which artillery complexes of the Msta-S type hit enemy targets," the expert explained.

Military expert, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin, agrees with this assessment.

"The use of artillery pieces together with a UAV and a computing center, which should be either on a howitzer or at a command post, makes it possible to accurately fire and quickly decide on striking a potential enemy," the expert said in an interview with RT.

At the same time, "Msta-S" is an automated weapon that can receive information not only from UAVs, but also from satellites, said Viktor Litovkin.

“This system has very good aiming devices, optics, infrared observation systems for the battlefield, good automatic loading, including it can be charged from the ground.

Unlike other Russian howitzers, it has a single projectile with a cartridge case.

Overall, this is a pretty good system.

But it is already being replaced by the Coalition-SV howitzer, which is capable of operating without human intervention, ”the expert explained.

The modernization for the NATO caliber was carried out at the request of the Indian Armed Forces, but now Russia can supply these howitzers to other countries where 155 mm artillery shells are used, the source said.

“Today Moscow can easily supply such self-propelled artillery mounts together with UAVs to those countries that use both 152-mm and 155-caliber. Undoubtedly, these NATO caliber howitzers used with drones will interest foreign customers, ”concluded Viktor Litovkin.