The Russian army began to receive new upgraded version of the self-propelled artillery “Msta-s”.
New self-propelled gun will remain in service as long as troops in mass quantities to get a much more modern self-propelled artillery 2С35 “Coalition-SV”.
“Several dozen units of self-propelled artillery installations “Msta-s” entered into service in military units of the First Panzer army, stationed in the Moscow region”, — reads the statement of the Russian Ministry of defense.
“The soldiers of the artillery units of the Tamanskaya and Kantemirovskaya divisions have completed the acceptance of military equipment from the representatives of the military-industrial complex and its putting into service. Crews have completed the relevant re-training. Combat vehicles are placed in specially constructed parks with the necessary infrastructure”.
This summer the data division will conduct exercises with the use of new tools.
“The new equipment will take part in the combat firing of artillery, the First tank army, appointed at the final stage of summer training period”, — is reported in the statement of the Russian Ministry of defence.
The new howitzer, the improved guidance system and many other modifications that distinguish it from the original version of “Msta-S”.
“The authors have made a slight error. The troops are equipped with, not a base version “Msta-s”, and an improved version under the name “Msta-SM” with a new management system guidance and fire, and some other innovations,” — said The National Interest Vasily Kashin, working as a senior researcher at the Centre for comprehensive European and international studies Higher school of Economics in Moscow.
Researcher Mikhail Barabanov, the incumbent editor-in-chief of the journal Moscow Defense Brief published by the Center for analysis of strategies and technologies (tsast), told The National Interest that a new instrument is a modernized “Msta-S”, but the designation given to it by the Russian Ministry of defense “Msta-SM”. “”Msta-SM” is 2С33 (2С19М), old project. Refused it in favor 2С35 the Coalition,” explained Reel.
The original version of “Msta-S” was the designation 2С19М1, and a modernized version is called 2S19M2. But as explained by the Drums, he kept the name “Msta-s”. In any case, prior to mass production of the “Coalition-SV” several years, and still formidable “Msta-s” is a very modern gun in the Russian ground forces before entering in of the new artillery systems.
“Msta-s” was created on the basis of 152-mm howitzer 2A65, which has a rate of fire of about eight rounds per minute. Most likely, the new ACS will shoot faster because she has a new gun and an improved loading mechanism.
“These howitzers will be produced until the beginning of the full-scale introduction of the Coalition,” — said Cashin.
“They have a new guidance system, improved the gun and loading mechanism”.
Over time, the “Coalition-SV” will replace “Msta-S”. The “Coalition-SV” 2А88 gun 152 mm caliber, which has a rate of fire of 15-20 rounds per minute. The new plant will be partially operational by the end of the year, but EN masse, she will go to the troops already in the next decade.
“I think there was a message about acceptance into service by year-end a limited number of installations,” said Kashin.
With the adoption of the “Msta-S” and “Coalition-SV” artillery of the land forces will substantially increase. Meanwhile, in the United States army will continue to use a modernized version of self-propelled artillery M109 Paladin sample 1960-ies.
