The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation demonstrated footage of the combat work of the calculations of self-propelled artillery installations (ACS) "Msta-SM2", formed from reserve military personnel called up as part of partial mobilization.

The video was published on the Telegram channel of the Russian military department.

The footage shows topographical work and firing from three howitzers.

According to the serviceman with the call sign Kama, the fire is carried out with various types of ammunition, including high-explosive fragmentation and special projectiles to illuminate the terrain in order to more accurately determine the location of the enemy.

“At the moment, as practice has proven, as it was the god of war, it remains the god of war ... The sweat of an artilleryman saves the blood of the infantry, because any offensive by our infantry (motorized rifle) units does not begin without artillery preparation,” Kama said.

As the military department explained, during the special operation, Russian artillerymen continue to hit artillery batteries of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, destroy defensive structures, suppress command posts, and destroy enemy weapons and military equipment.

“Russian howitzers at the forefront of the line of contact are a bone in the throat for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

They hinder the maneuvers of their units, destroy the key nodes of the fortified areas.

Artillery crews of the Western Military District (Western Military District. -

RT

) daily conduct a counter-battery fight against the enemy, destroying, among other things, samples of weapons and military equipment delivered from abroad, ”the Russian Ministry of Defense emphasized.

"To hit distant targets"

Msta-SM2, or 2S19M2 Msta-S, is the latest modification of the Soviet self-propelled guns created in the late 1980s, which, as experts recall, has gained fame as one of the best self-propelled howitzers in the world.

The modernized "Msta-S" is produced at the facilities of "Uraltransmash".

The enterprise is part of the Uralvagonzavod concern (part of Rostec).

The unconditional combat advantages of self-propelled guns in the state corporation are considered to be high rate of fire, the ability to fire various types of projectiles, the ability to quickly take up and leave a firing position.

“The artillery mount is successfully used on the fronts of the NMD mainly to destroy distant targets: enemy artillery and infantry, mortar batteries, air defense systems, long-term firing points and command posts,” the Rostec Telegram channel says.

The basis of the firepower of the Msta-SM2 is the 2A65 152 mm gun.

The self-propelled gun can fire conventional high-explosive fragmentation, active-rocket projectiles, as well as Krasnopol precision-guided munitions.

“The Msta-SM2 artillery system has significant design differences from the previous modification.

The upgraded howitzers have a new automated fire control system installed, the aimed rate of fire has been increased, and it is also possible to use digital electronic maps, which significantly speeds up orientation on the ground in difficult physical and geographical conditions and allows you to perform fire missions more quickly and more efficiently, ”says in the materials of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

The rate of fire "Msta-SM2" reaches ten rounds per minute.

According to the military department, this indicator is higher for the modernized Russian self-propelled guns than for other artillery systems.

To increase the self-propelled gun's rate of fire, the developers improved the design of the loading mechanisms and equipped it with an automated guidance and fire control system (ASUNO).

In an interview with RT, Alexander Butyrin, columnist for the Firing Frontier magazine, said that during the modernization of the ACS, the level of automation of control processes and the speed of information processing were significantly increased.

This became possible thanks to the installation of modern digital electronics.

“The level of automation is often critical in a modern theater of operations (THE).

This is essential for efficient and fast decision-making in the conditions of intense work of crews.

Automation is mainly provided by the digitalization of onboard equipment.

As a result, detection, aiming and other operations are much faster, ”Butyrin explained.

  • Self-propelled guns "Msta-SM2"

  • © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

Also, modern radio-electronic filling allows you to integrate "Msta-SM2" into a single tactical level control system (ESU TK).

It makes it possible to exchange data and adjust fire in real time using UAVs and reconnaissance equipment.

ESU TK allows to ensure the consistency of the use of military branches and various weapons in a changing operational and tactical environment.

In addition, the use of a unified system reduces the cycle of command and control by three times.

As follows from the information of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, exercises with the participation of Msta-SM2 crews as part of the ESU TK were held in January 2021 in the Bryansk region.

All participants in the conditional battle acted in one information network, with the help of which the control of combat units was coordinated.

In a RT commentary, a graduate of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, Major General of the Reserve Vladimir Bogatyrev, said that the possibility of integrating the Msta-SM2 into the ESU TZ significantly improves the characteristics of self-propelled guns.

“The CM2 modification of this self-propelled gun is integrated into the ESU TK, that is, the network-centric control system for enemy fire engagement.

Thanks to this, the self-propelled guns can much more effectively realize such advantages as rate of fire, responsiveness and mobility, which is expressed in the speed of deployment and withdrawal from positions, ”said Bogatyrev.

In addition, the expert drew attention to the improvement in the accuracy of the latest modification of the ACS, including due to the increased number of sources of external target designation.

According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the shooting from the Msta-SM2 is corrected using the Orlan-10 drone, the Sagittarius wearable intelligence, control and communications complex (KRUS) and the GLONASS satellite system.

On the battlefield, the actions of self-propelled gun crews cannot do without air support provided by helicopters and tactical aircraft.

  • Shooting from self-propelled guns "Msta-SM2"

  • RIA News

  • © Alexander Wilf

An important advantage of "Msta-SM2" military and industrialists call the work in the fire raid mode.

It implies the ability of self-propelled guns to fire several projectiles that strike the target at the same time and from different angles.

This feature allows you to reduce the time the artillery mount is in position and increase the effectiveness of the defeat.

In addition, according to Rostec, the Msta-SM2 is equipped with the Nakidka kit for protection against high-precision weapons.

This product is a synthetic heat-insulating and radio-absorbing material that makes the combat vehicle invisible in the theater.

"Modern System"

According to experts, an analysis of open information about the use of the Msta-SM2 complex in the NVO zone allows us to conclude that the self-propelled gun corresponds to the high ratings that it received even before the start of hostilities in Ukraine.

As Alexander Butyrin notes, the self-propelled guns allow the Russian army to hit various military equipment, suppress firing points, destroy strongholds and other engineering structures of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, thereby reducing the risks for the subsequent offensive of tanks and motorized rifle units.

“In the course of the special operation, the Msta-S is used in various modifications, including the newest one, the SM2.

Practically from the first days, they allow the RF Armed Forces to strike at a fairly long range.

At the same time, it is important that the Msta-SM2 crews have the opportunity to select the most suitable ammunition for hitting a specific enemy object, ”says Butyrin.

As he believes, in the zone of the SVO "Msta-SM2" and other self-propelled guns of this family are included in the arsenal of means of artillery destruction of the RF Armed Forces at a distance of more than 20 km.

The basis of the short-range complexes are self-propelled guns "Acacia" and other howitzers.

Vladimir Bogatyrev called the Msta-SM2 self-propelled guns the most modern artillery system in the Russian army today, not counting the Coalition.

According to the expert, the capabilities of the modernized self-propelled guns make it possible to successfully fight Western artillery systems.

Msta-SM2 is the most modern artillery system of today.

The use of these installations during the NMD is an important advantage of the Russian troops in the fight against Western-style artillery systems, including in the course of counter-battery combat.

The Ministry of Defense, of course, does not disclose all the methods and methods of using these artillery systems, but I am sure that the Msta-SM2 meets all modern requirements, ”summed up Bogatyrev.