The Russian Ministry of Defense demonstrated footage of the combat use of the 152-mm howitzer "Gyacinth-B" in the Zaporozhye region. The gun crew destroyed the towed gun of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

According to the department's press service, in the North Military District zone "Gyacinth-B" operates against a wide range of enemy targets: defensive structures, military equipment, artillery batteries. 

In addition, artillerymen carry out missions to destroy enemy command posts and fire weapons. Reconnaissance and fire adjustment for howitzer crews is carried out by UAVs.

“Crews of towed 152-mm howitzers “Gyacinth-B” deliver precise strikes on enemy positions around the clock. During combat missions, the artillerymen aimed the guns and struck the identified targets with rapid fire. The artillerymen were also responsible for knocking out heavy and lightly armored enemy equipment,” the Russian Ministry of Defense reported.

According to the ministry, the Giatsint-B is a long-range weapon capable of destroying manpower and equipment at a distance of up to 28.5 km with high-explosive fragmentation shells and up to 33.5 km with active-reactive shells. The howitzer can also fire anti-tank cumulative shells.

Speed, accuracy, camouflage

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, in the special operation zone, Giatsint-B guns are often used in counter-battery warfare, which involves exchanging blows with enemy artillery from closed positions. In this regard, the crew must constantly change their location and provide the necessary level of camouflage.

“Speed ​​is very important here, accuracy is a must, and, of course, camouflage. However, the battle always, and this time too, does not last long. The enemy quickly falls silent, proving that the Russian fighters clearly have fire superiority. The artillery battery of Giatsint-B howitzers always has new firing positions,” the ministry’s website says.

To ensure effective combat against enemy artillery, the Hyacinth battery must work as a single, well-functioning mechanism, the department added.

“One weapon acts as bait. Hidden in the folds of the terrain, it draws enemy fire onto itself. At this time, UAV operators and sound reconnaissance specialists are tracking down the enemy - barrel guns or MLRS. The remaining crews of the battery are ready to inflict fire damage at any time,” explains the materials of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

It takes Giatsint-B crews several minutes to fire a shot after receiving the target coordinates from the UAV. Most often, attacks on the enemy are carried out with high-explosive fragmentation shells at a range of about 20 km.

“We work often. Day, night, at any time we get up and go to work. For good and high-quality work, we take into account air humidity, wind strength, air temperature, charge, projectile. Even the temperature of the gun barrel also plays a big role in the flight of the projectile,” the press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense quotes the words of the gunner with the call sign Lubert.

Along with a towed howitzer, the Giatsint-S self-propelled artillery mount (SAU) is used in the SVO zone. It is also considered an effective means of destroying positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at long distances and for conducting counter-battery warfare.

“With a minimum number of shots, fighters successfully suppress militants’ firing points, accumulations of their equipment, fortified areas, strongholds, and ammunition depots. The artillerymen receive coordinates from reconnaissance aircraft and UAV crews, immediately leave cover and arrive at positions to open fire on the enemy,” the ministry said.

Within a minute, "Gyacinth-S" is capable of firing five to six shots at a target. Firing is carried out with high-explosive fragmentation shells at a distance of more than 30 km.

To avoid becoming victims of return fire, howitzer crews carefully camouflage their guns and, when fired, go into underground shelters. Also, according to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, in the Northern Military District zone, self-propelled gun crews use the tactics of a 24-hour artillery carousel. It disorients the enemy, forces him to waste ammunition, and declassify the positions of camouflaged firing points.

On the battlefield, the Giatsint-S is used in conjunction with another self-propelled gun, the Msta-S, which also fires 152 mm ammunition, the department noted.

  • Self-propelled howitzer "Msta-S" in the northwestern military zone with an anti-drone visor

  • RIA News

  • © Pavel Lisitsyn

Units in the special operation zone receive modernized howitzers, which, unlike the basic version of the gun, are equipped with modern on-board electronics.

In particular, the Msta-S in the M1 version is equipped with an automated guidance and fire control system (AFC), which allows you to hit targets at any time of the day and in any weather conditions.

“Thanks to this system, the combat vehicle autonomously determines the current coordinates and calculates the parameters of firing from closed firing positions,” said the Rostec state corporation. 

The howitzer in the M2 version was equipped with a modernized version of ASUNO with improved accuracy and the ability to display an electronic map of the area.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Msta-SM2 has an improved rate of fire, and the use of digital electronic maps “significantly speeds up terrain orientation in difficult physical and geographical conditions and allows you to more quickly and efficiently carry out fire missions.”

In the SVO zone, the Msta-S is used for firing at ranges of up to 30 km. As noted in the military department, the self-propelled gun is capable of causing “maximum damage to fortifications,” including buried concrete fortifications.

"A Confident Advantage"

As military observer Alexander Khrolenko emphasized in a commentary to RT, large-caliber artillery plays a big role in defeating Ukrainian Armed Forces targets on the line of combat contact.

“Approximately 80% of the losses of enemy equipment and infantry are the result of artillery, including Giatsintov and Msta-S. In large-caliber artillery, Russia has a confident advantage throughout the entire special operation. The Russian Armed Forces fire significantly more 152-mm shells, which certainly affects the situation at the front,” Khrolenko said.

According to him, constant artillery shelling allows the Russian Armed Forces to suppress firing points and destroy the fortifications of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which simplifies the work of assault units. At the same time, the forces of the Kyiv regime are experiencing a chronic shortage of shells, despite attempts by Western sponsors to increase the supply of ammunition and artillery pieces.

In a conversation with RT, reserve colonel and combat veteran Gennady Alekhin called an additional advantage of the Russian army the use of mixed artillery groups, which include self-propelled guns, MLRS, towed guns and other weapons.

“They are able to solve a wide range of problems in a very short time. Depending on the type of target, range and situation, the commander selects the crew of a specific weapon. For example, when it is necessary to work on an object at a distance of 20 km or more, it is more expedient to use the Hyacinth, and when it is necessary to hit a cluster of lightly armored vehicles, the task goes to the MLRS crews,” the specialist explained.

At present, self-propelled guns are of particular importance, capable of moving faster to the firing line and leaving it. Nevertheless, towed guns are also capable of delivering unexpected blows to the enemy, says Alekhin.

From his point of view, the experience of the Northern Military District dictates the need to increase the firing range of large-caliber artillery. This is exactly the problem that the Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled gun project is designed to solve. According to open data, it has the ability to shoot at 70 km.

“This is a very promising distance for the development of large-caliber artillery of the Russian Federation. In addition, this is the most suitable distance for counter-battery combat, destruction of warehouses, and disruption of logistics near enemy lines. Strikes at such a distance can secure our border strip, including the Belgorod region,” argues Alekhin.

Military observer Sergei Ishchenko shares a similar point of view. In a conversation with RT, the expert suggested that the experience of the SVO will make it possible to create new artillery ammunition that can be used by the guns currently in service.

“Large-caliber artillery is needed to hit targets at long distances. For this, as far as I understand, the Coalition-SV self-propelled guns and 152-mm ammunition, capable of confidently covering 30, 40, 50 and even 60 km, will be mass-produced,” Ishchenko concluded.