55 years ago, the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted Decree No. 609-201 on the creation of four new self-propelled artillery systems: Carnation, Violet, Acacia and Tulip.

Thus began the history of the famous "flower" artillery of our country.

This class of military equipment made a huge contribution to ensuring the security of the USSR during the Cold War, continues to serve Russia and improve today.

As candidate of military sciences Sergey Suvorov said in an interview with RT, projects launched by the Soviet government to develop combat "flowers" breathed a second life into the development of domestic artillery, which at that time lagged behind Western ones.

The expert laid the responsibility for this situation on Nikita Khrushchev and individual high-ranking military leaders, who directed a huge amount of resources to the rocketization of the Armed Forces to the detriment of improving other means of destruction.

“Khrushchev considered that it was pointless to engage in the development of large-caliber cannon artillery.

He was besotted with the idea that the decisive word in any war is with missiles, but, as the practice of conflicts of those years and the scenarios of a possible war with NATO showed, this was a deeply erroneous judgment, ”Suvorov said.

According to the expert, since the 1950s, Western countries have concentrated their efforts on creating models of self-propelled artillery mounts (ACS) of a new generation, capable of quickly advancing to firing lines and changing positions almost immediately after a volley.

As a result, there was a risk that, in a potential clash, NATO countries would gain a tangible fire advantage on the front line or, with the help of artillery, massively use small and ultra-low-yield tactical nuclear weapons against the USSR and its allies in Eastern Europe.

  • Self-propelled artillery complex "Gvozdika"

  • © Victory Museum

“SPGs are not only serious fire support for ground formations, they are also potential carriers of special ammunition, that is, shells with nuclear warheads.

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union could not afford to continue to lag behind in the field of large-caliber self-propelled artillery, ”Suvorov explained.

Self-propelled guns and mortars

Soon after the release of Decree No. 609-201, projects were launched to replenish the "flower" family with four more artillery systems: "Astra", "Lily of the valley", "Peony" and "Hyacinth".

Thus, as of the end of the 1960s, the Soviet industry was working on eight projects of promising combat vehicles.

In the future, three of them - "Astra", "Lily of the Valley" and "Violet" - did not receive development, remaining at the level of experimental developments, the remaining five artillery "flowers" were adopted by the USSR Armed Forces and went into serial production.

The first self-propelled guns, which replenished the arsenal of the Soviet army, was the Gvozdika.

It was used by the ground forces and marines.

The release of the artillery mount was launched at the Kharkov Tractor Plant.

Sergo Ordzhonikidze in 1972.

"Carnation" was a floating 122-mm howitzer with the possibility of a circular attack on targets.

The self-propelled gun was created on the basis of the D-30 towed howitzer and could use the same ammunition.

The maximum firing range of the Gvozdika with a high-explosive fragmentation projectile was 15.3 km, with active-rocket ammunition - 21.9 km.

For a more accurate defeat of all types of targets, including moving ones, the self-propelled guns could fire a Kitolov-2 laser-guided projectile.

Following the Gvozdika, the more powerful Akatsiya self-propelled gun mount with a 152 mm caliber gun was adopted by the USSR Armed Forces.

Officially, it entered the arsenal of the Soviet army in 1971.

The self-propelled gun was developed on the basis of the D-20 towed gun-howitzer.

The internal structure of this gun, its ballistics and ammunition were left unchanged.

"Acacia" contained 40 shells.

For the first time in the world, this self-propelled gun used an ammunition rack with a high level of mechanization and automation of loading processes.

It provided for the transportation and consumption of ammunition from the “booked” volume and firing with ammunition delivered, including from the ground.

Later, the ammunition load of the self-propelled guns increased to 46 shots, and in addition to the classic high-explosive fragmentation and cumulative type ammunition, the combat “flower” received guided high-precision Krasnopol-type projectiles with a semi-active laser homing system.

"Acacia" has earned a reputation as a highly passable, simple and reliable machine that does not require lengthy training to bring it to combat readiness.

The self-propelled guns were successfully used in combat operations in Afghanistan and Chechnya.

Now it is in service with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in a modernized form and is used in a special operation in Ukraine.

An unsurpassed masterpiece of Soviet artillery scientists was the Tyulpan mortar, made in 240 mm caliber.

It was put into service in 1971, replacing the M-240 towed mortar in the troops. 

The main purpose of the "Tulip" is the destruction of buildings, fortifications, fortified objects on the front line, manpower and equipment of the enemy.

The large-caliber self-propelled mortar received its baptism of fire in Afghanistan, where it attacked Mujahideen firing points in stone rubble and caves.

After the end of the Cold War, the Tulips were mothballed, but recently they have been returned to service in a repaired and modernized form.

The firing range of the Tulip is 9.6-18 km, the ammunition load is 40 rounds, the rate of fire is one round per minute, and the engine power is 520 hp.

With.

For actions in conjunction with the Tulip, the Soviet industry developed in the first half of the 1970s the Pion self-propelled guns of 203 mm caliber.

Both self-propelled guns were supplied to artillery brigades of high power from the artillery reserve of the Supreme High Command.

Now these artillery pieces are also used by the Russian Ground Forces during a special operation in Ukraine.

"Peony", like "Tulip", has been upgraded.

The improved 203-mm self-propelled gun received the name "Malka".

The firing range from it is 37.5 km, weight - 46 tons, engine power - 700 hp.

s., transportable ammunition - 4/8 units, rate of fire - 2.5 rounds per minute.

  • Self-propelled guns "Malka" caliber 203 mm

  • RIA News

  • © Ramil Sitdikov

In the modern theater of operations, in addition to the 240-mm mortar, "Malka" is able to interact with multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) "Grad", "Hurricane", with guns "Hyacinth" and howitzers "Msta-S".

The self-propelled gun is equipped with new electronics, which allows you to receive target designation from the carriers of the Sagittarius intelligence, control and communications complex (KRUS) and Orlan-10 drones.

“The use of the UAV complex with the Malka long-range system has significantly expanded its potential.

It became possible to use powerful projectiles at long distances with the effectiveness of high-precision weapons, ”the materials of the Ministry of Defense say.

The fifth combat “flower” in the artillery “bouquet” of the USSR was the Hyacinth complex, which was developed in self-propelled and towed versions.

This system received the highest praise from the military and experts in the modification of the self-propelled guns.

Today, it still remains the longest-range domestic weapon, with the exception of the latest Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled gun.

Gun "Hyacinth-S" has a greater muzzle energy compared to similar artillery systems.

The firing range of self-propelled guns with individual ammunition exceeds more than 30 km.

Currently, the Russian army uses this combat "flower" in a modernized form.

The modern version of the self-propelled guns has an automated guidance and fire control system (ASUNO) "Mekhanizator-M" and an improved artillery unit, which allows the use of new long-range 152-mm ammunition.

Like other military "flowers", "Hyacinth-S" was successfully used in Afghanistan and Chechnya.

Today, self-propelled guns help the Russian army to destroy the military infrastructure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Modern "flowers"

In an interview with RT, military expert Alexei Leonkov noted that the appearance of the "flower family" allowed Soviet artillery to become more versatile and powerful.

“The Decree of 1967 marked the beginning of a revolution in Russian artillery.

The USSR army received a wide range of modern, mostly large-caliber, self-propelled guns and their ammunition.

These self-propelled guns could successfully operate on the defensive, cover and support troops on the offensive, destroy almost any targets in the reach zone, ”Leonkov emphasized.

  • Self-propelled guns "Hyacinth-S" caliber 152 mm

  • globallookpress.com

  • © MOD Russia

According to the expert, the Soviet generation of "flower" artillery not only helps the army to carry out a lot of combat missions, but also became the foundation for the development of fundamentally new "flowers".

Among them are the 152-mm Malva self-propelled gun, the 120-mm Phlox complex, the 82-mm Drok mobile mortar, and the 120-mm Magnolia artillery system.

According to Sergei Suvorov, today Russia is one of the world leaders in the development of self-propelled artillery.

The only serious problem in this segment, the expert called the lack of more advanced means of reconnaissance and data transmission to artillery crews.

“In technical terms, our“ flower ”artillery is in no way inferior to Western models, rather, it even surpasses many NATO self-propelled guns.

A serious problem is a certain backlog in UAVs and data transmission facilities.

However, as follows from open sources, the calculations of our self-propelled guns in a special operation have very compressed standards for obtaining coordinates and hitting targets.

This means that the problem I am talking about is off the agenda, ”summed up Suvorov.