TTX 122 mm howitzer 2s1. Military equipment "Gvozdika": history, characteristics, use of self-propelled guns

Self-propelled artillery unit (SAU) or spoken language It’s just that the self-propelled gun appeared along with the first tanks. According to modern classification, the first french tanks"Schneider" and "Saint-Chamon" are not tanks. These are ordinary field guns mounted on self-propelled chassis and protected by thin armor. The difference between a tank and a self-propelled gun is that the tank is equipped with its own weapon, developed specifically for this tank. In addition, self-propelled guns, as a rule, are not equipped with additional weapons (machine guns, mortars, anti-aircraft guns, etc.).

The first self-propelled guns appeared before the First World War, but did not receive full-scale distribution. The real heyday of self-propelled guns came during World War II. But we will talk about the Gvozdika self-propelled gun, which was put into service in 1970 and has not yet been removed from combat duty.

History of creation

Assault and anti-tank self-propelled guns appeared in service with the USSR army in the 1940s. It cannot be said that they made a decisive contribution to the victory (the championship still belongs to tanks), but they were very effective in supporting infantry and advancing tanks. With the beginning Cold War The potential enemy now had sophisticated 105 mm artillery systems, which were superior to Soviet self-propelled guns in many respects.

But the USSR doctrine was aimed at the use of missiles and self-propelled guns were not developed. After Khrushchev left office, a doctrine emerged among sober minds that global nuclear war impossible. The possibility of destroying not only the enemy, but also oneself is too great. Here's the use destructive weapons for tactical purposes it is quite possible. In this sense, the use of self-propelled guns was one of the best ways to deliver a tactical nuclear charge to the right place.

Based on this statement, the development of a new self-propelled gun, called the self-propelled gun 2S1 “Gvozdika”, began, taking into account the possibility of using such charges.

By decision Communist Party and by decree of the Union government in 1967, the development of a 122 mm caliber artillery system began.

This decision was based on the research base of VNII-100. It was these studies that determined the basic characteristics of the future self-propelled howitzer.

The research institute proposed three chassis options: BMP-1, MT-LB tractor and Object-124. They chose a tractor, on the basis of which the Gvozdika self-propelled gun was designed. The tractor plant in Kharkov was tasked with developing a new system.

1969 began testing four prototypes of 122 mm Gvozdika and 152 mm 2S3. The choice was made on the Gvozdika. In 1970, the USSR government, after a year of testing and necessary modifications, adopted the Gvozdika self-propelled gun.

The new self-propelled gun began to arrive in military units, and the crews gradually mastered this system. Serial production was finally mastered in 1971. It was produced in Poland (since 1971) and Bulgaria (since 1979). In 1991, the self-propelled gun was no longer produced. In total, about ten thousand cars have been produced since 1970.

Design

The layout of the body of this artillery system was made according to the turret design. Everything is welded from rolled steel sheets. The body itself is absolutely sealed, and the thickness of the armor plates is 20 mm. This is fairly reliable protection against shrapnel and bullets, but not against shells. The engine compartment is located on the right side, where the driver-mechanic seat is also located.

The fighting compartment is located in the middle and stern. There is a turret on the hull, and a gun in it. There are charges and loader in the turret on the right side. On the left is the gunner and sight for precise aiming. The commander's place is behind the gunner. The commander has his own rotating turret with a hatch for visual control. In the niche of the tower itself, cumulative shells and charges for them are placed. The remaining ammunition is located at the stern.

The 2S1 self-propelled gun has a special hatch through which it is possible to receive shells directly from the ground.

Chassis. It is based on a modified MT-LB chassis. It was well redesigned, installing a couple of additional road wheels. But the number of rubberized skating rinks has increased to seven pairs. There are guide wheels at the rear and driving wheels at the front. The caterpillar is assembled from links (tracks). The links are quite small (350*111), connected by metal fingers.

With a track width of 350 mm and a weight of 15.7 tons, the machine feels confident on any ground. The Gvozdika artillery system has an individual torsion bar suspension. Hydraulic shock absorbers are installed on the seventh and first road wheels.

Engine and transmission. The vehicle is equipped with a YaMZ-238N engine with a power of 300 hp. Runs on diesel fuel. The engine is V-shaped, 8-cylinder, four-stroke, liquid-cooled. Gas turbine supercharging. As for the transmission, it is dual-flow and mechanical. There are two rotation mechanisms and they are planetary-friction. There are six forward gears and one reverse gear.

Armament. The 122 mm rifled howitzer is the basis of the installation's firepower.

The muzzle brake, ejector, breech and pipe are connected into a barrel more than 4 meters long. There are 34 grooves inside the barrel. This weapon uses a vertical wedge bolt. There is a semi-automatic re-cocking mechanism.

To prevent the projectile from falling out in cases where the barrel is at high elevation angles, a special tray with a retention device is installed.

The recoil device has a special hydraulic brake, of the spindle type. There is also a pneumatic knurling device with air or nitrogen filling. A compensator is installed on the rollback brake.

Surveillance and communication equipment. TKN-3B, a sight that is located on the commander's seat. The OU-3GA2 sight is installed to carry out night surveillance of the area. TNPO-170A, a periscope, prismatic type sight, and 1OP40 panoramic type, both are located at the gunner's position. OP5-37, for firing from cover. The MK-4 rotating type is located on the right side of the turret. The mechanic has a TNPO-170A device for observation during the day and a TVN-2B for night observation.

At the driver-mechanic's place there is a glass with an armored cover for direct observation of the terrain. R-123M radio station with the help of which external communication is carried out. It operates on VHF waves, with a range of up to 28 km. For communication between the crew, the R-124 device is installed in the self-propelled gun.

Performance characteristics of "Gvozdika" and foreign analogues

Performance characteristics installations are most valued in comparison with other self-propelled guns of a similar type.

TTX	Self-propelled gun 2S1 “Gvozdika”	M-108 (USA)	Type-86 (Japan)	AMX-105V (France)
Year of issue	1970	1962	1974	1960
Weight, t	15,7	21	16,5	17
Crew, people	4	5	6	5
Caliber, mm	122	105	122	105
Ammunition, height Firing range, km	40	86	40	37
Firing range, km	15	11,5	15	15
Speed, km/h	60	56	60	60

As can be seen from the performance characteristics of the Gvozdika, it was in no way inferior to its foreign counterparts. As can be seen from the table, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces had a similar vehicle only 4 years later.

Modifications of "Gvozdika" and vehicles based on

The following options have been created based on the machine:

2S15 “Norov”, with a 100 mm gun, was intended to fight tanks, but when it was created in 1983 prototype, and the need for this type of self-propelled guns has disappeared;
2S17 “Nona-SV”, a self-propelled gun with a 120 mm gun, did not reach mass production;
2S8 “Astra” is a self-propelled mortar, its development was carried out in the 1970s, but all work on this mortar was closed in 1977, as they switched to the creation of the 2S17 “Nona-SV” artillery system

Of the modifications of this system, the following installations are best known:

Raad-1, self-propelled gun, developed in Iran, this version uses an infantry fighting vehicle chassis, gun caliber 122 mm;
2S34 “Khosta” was created in 2003 in Russia, it was equipped with a 2A80-1 howitzer and a PKT machine gun in the commander’s cupola, and was adopted by the Russian Armed Forces in 2008;
2S31 “Vena”, 120-mm self-propelled artillery gun, sea trials in 2007, adopted by the Russian Armed Forces;
Rak-120, a 2009 Polish version of the self-propelled gun that uses a 120 mm mortar instead of a howitzer;
Model 89, this is the Romanian version of the Carnation;
2C1T Goździk, Polish reworking of a classic model Soviet self-propelled gun, it uses an automatic fire control system.

In 2015, Ukraine planned to improve the Gvozdika by installing a Volvo engine, as well as more advanced control and communication systems.

Combat use

The self-propelled gun went through several local conflicts, the first of which was Afghanistan. In this war, as a rule, self-propelled guns were used to suppress enemy fire with direct fire, this significantly reduced troop losses. The most successful operations using the installation were carried out during the capture of Shingara, Khaki-Safed, and also in 1986, during the offensive on Kandahar.

In Chechnya, both military companies used the Gvozdika actively during combat operations and successfully coped with the assigned tasks.

The self-propelled gun was used in the Transnistrian conflict, in Yugoslavia, in south-eastern Ukraine, by both warring parties. During the Iran-Iraq War, 2S1 and 2S3 were used by the Iraqi army.

During the civil war in Libya in 2010–2011, government forces actively used the device against the rebels.

The war in Syria has revealed the use of this installation by almost all warring parties, both government forces and various terrorist groups, including ISIS. The installation is used by the Houthis in Yemen in the fight against the invaders who have invaded the country.

For all its weight and size, the self-propelled gun is capable of swimming, but the developers guarantee that it can overcome a water obstacle 300 m wide with a wave of no more than 15 cm, while the vehicle reaches a speed of up to 4.5 km/h. All this is thanks to the hermetic body and tracks, which in this version of movement act as blades.

The howitzer uses a wide variety of projectiles for firing, in addition to cumulative, high-explosive fragmentation, smoke, chemical, electronic countermeasures and projectiles with a swept-shaped striking element can also be used. And even lighting and propaganda.

The relatively light weight allows the self-propelled gun to be transported on Il-74 and An-12 aircraft.

And also on landing ships. "Gvozdika" was in service with all the armies of the countries that were part of the association Warsaw Pact. In many of them it is still in service.

For this artillery system, a special laser-guided projectile “Kitolov-2” was developed, which is capable of hitting the target with high accuracy using a homing head. The projectile is highly accurate, but the target must be illuminated by a laser beam from the gun mount itself or by a fire spotter.

The Croats developed a “super charge” charge, thanks to which Gvozdika shells flew 17.1 km.

In 1997, a high-explosive fragmentation weapon was developed and tested for Gvozdika. active-missile projectile. The firing range increased to almost 22 km.

Video

The 2S1 entered service with artillery battalions of motorized rifle regiments equipped with infantry fighting vehicles. The purpose of the "Gvozdika" is to destroy and suppress manpower and infantry firepower, destroy field-type fortifications, make passages in minefields and barbed wire barriers, fighting enemy artillery, mortars and armored vehicles.

The usual transportable ammunition is 35 high-explosive fragmentation and five cumulative shells. Separately loaded ammunition - a projectile and a cartridge case with a charge. A wide range of projectiles has been developed: lighting, propaganda, electronic countermeasures, chemical, smoke, with special arrow-shaped striking elements, cumulative, high-explosive fragmentation...

In 1967, an attempt was made to create cap-loading howitzers - D-16 and D-16M - on the basis of the D-32 for the Gvozdika. But they didn’t go into series. The layout of the 2S1 Gvozdika is basically similar to the 152 mm self-propelled gun 2S3 Akatsiya. In the front of the hull is the driver's cabin and engine compartment, and in the rear is the fighting compartment. The turret houses three more crew members: a gunner, a loader and a commander. The tower rotates by electric or manual drive 360 degrees.

The tracks of the self-propelled guns are rubber-metal, have a width of 400 mm, but can be replaced with wider ones (670 mm) for increased maneuverability in snow and wetlands. Track rollers - with individual torsion bar suspension. The first and seventh wheels, in addition to torsion bars, also have hydraulic shock absorbers. The housing is sealed. The drive wheels, located at the front of the housing, have removable ring gears, making them easy to replace if excessive wear occurs. The track tensioning mechanism is located inside the housing. Track tension is also adjusted from inside the machine. With the help of rewinding tracks, the self-propelled gun floats at a speed of 4.5 km/h and is capable of overcoming water obstacles 300 m wide with a wave height of up to 150 mm and a current speed of no more than 0.6 m/sec. Between the hub and the outer ring with the rubber band of each roller, two disks are welded, forming an internal air chamber that increases the buoyancy of the machine. In this case, there should be no more than 30 shots on board the installation. "Gvozdika" is air transportable, that is, it can be transported on An-12, Il-76, An-124 aircraft. To reduce the height of the self-propelled guns, support rollers from the second to the seventh during transportation can be raised and secured using special devices.

The machine body is welded from steel plates, maximum thickness which reaches 20 mm. This armor provides protection from light small arms fire and small-caliber shell fragments and mines. The self-propelled gun “holds” a 7.62-mm B-32 rifle bullet from a distance of 300 m. Three fuel tanks with a total capacity of 550 liters are located in the walls of both sides of the hull. The engine used in the 2S1 is a V-shaped eight-cylinder four-stroke diesel engine YaMZ-238V from the Yaroslavl Motor Plant. The gearbox has 11 forward speeds and two reverse. The onboard ammunition is located as follows: 16 shells in a vertical position along the side walls of the hull and 24 along the side and rear walls of the turret. To facilitate loading the howitzer, an electromechanical type loading mechanism is used. When firing shells stored on the ground, they are fed into the fighting compartment using a transport device through the large rear door.

The gun is aimed using the PG-2 sight and optical sight direct fire OP5-37. The howitzer barrel has vertical aiming angles from -3 to +70 degrees. The BP-1 cumulative rotating projectile is fired with a special Zh-8 charge weighing 3.1 kg; initial speed 740 m/s; table range is 2000 m. Normal armor penetration is 180 mm; at an angle of 60° - 150 mm, at an angle of 30° - 80 mm; armor penetration does not depend on distance. When shooting high explosive projectile the maximum range is 15,300 m. When using an active-missile projectile, this figure increases to 21,900 m. The minimum firing range is 4,070 m. The rate of fire of the howitzer is not very high. When firing shells from the ground - 4-5 rounds per minute, with onboard ammunition - 1-2.

The howitzer barrel consists of a monoblock pipe, a breech, a coupling, an ejection device and a two-chamber muzzle brake. Vertical wedge shutter with semi-automatic mechanical (copier) type. Sector lifting mechanism with manual drive. The recoil and retractor brake cylinders are fixed in the breech and roll back along with the barrel. The barrel is balanced by a push-type pneumatic balancing mechanism.

The 2S1 "Gvozdika" at one time entered service with all armies of the Warsaw Pact countries (except Romania). After the reunification of Germany, the Bundeswehr received 374 2S1s. The Gvozdika is still in service with the CIS armies today, including the Belarusian army. IN lately In order to improve the installation, a laser-guided projectile "Kitolov-2" was developed for it. This projectile can hit stationary and moving targets with a high degree of probability.

Serial production of the 122 mm 2S1 self-propelled howitzer continues. This type of vehicle is in service with the ground forces of Algeria, Angola, Bulgaria, Hungary, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Poland, Russia, Syria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Ethiopia and the former Yugoslavia.

Shooting modes:
- target rate of fire when firing direct fire, rds/min. 4-5
- target rate of fire when firing from closed positions:
- when firing shots from the ground without re-assembling the charges, rds/min. 4-5,
- when using shots from an ammunition rack and at different elevation angles, rds/min 1.5-2

Source: Encyclopedia of armored vehicles: Tracked combat vehicles
Lieutenant Colonel Nikolai Kachuk, Army magazine No. 3 2001

Often in the process of searching for some technical solution, designers and inventors come to unexpected results and discoveries. On the other hand, working seemingly in different directions, people come to a “common denominator”. For example, 2S1 Gvozdika. Until recently, battle management was carried out based on the analysis of visual control data. But in the age of digital technology, equipment is installed in the commander’s tower to obtain information about the enemy’s location directly from the satellite.

So the inventors of tanks and the creators of self-propelled artillery guns came to a result that was essentially close at the beginning of the last century - a self-propelled artillery gun. In a word, the appearance of self-propelled guns, as well as the creation of tanks, dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century. At the initial stage, self-propelled artillery units even had a name - artillery tank.

Self-propelled gun 2S1 - military equipment "Gvozdika"

Basic parameters of military equipment "Gvozdika"

From the history of self-propelled guns

The definition of self-propelled artillery is more than simple. This fighting machine, which is an artillery gun mounted on a self-propelled chassis and intended for fire support of infantry and tank troops in battle.

Some sources used the exclusion method, indicating that self-propelled guns are all armored combat self-propelled artillery units (Gvozdika included) with guns, except for tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles.

Despite the fact that 2S1 artillery as a type of weapon has existed since time immemorial, and attempts to make systems self-propelled began simultaneously with the development of the first tanks, the history of self-propelled guns is much more modest than the path that armored vehicles have taken in their development:

years of the First World War- ongoing attempts to install artillery systems on some kind of self-propelled chassis, using, for example, trucks or agricultural tractors;
1915-1917– the emergence of individual self-propelled gun developments: 75 mm Krupp guns, British self-propelled guns with a 60-foot gun, French Schumann armored carriage (57 mm), Mendeleev’s tank (the son of the great chemist);
30s- in the USSR on the basis of unsuccessful models heavy tanks T-35 and T-28 created the first self-propelled guns SU-14 and self-propelled guns for direct infantry support at the base light tank T-26 and T-27 wedges;

years of the Great Patriotic War – several variants of self-propelled guns were created: the ZIS-30 self-propelled gun, the SU-122 assault gun, the universal (as opposed to the German specialized) ISU-152 and SU-100 vehicles, which remained in service with the Soviet army for another two decades after the war.
60s -70s- after several years of struggle between cannon artillery and missile systems, a decision was made to create self-propelled howitzers;
July 1967- by decision of the government, the Sverdlovsk Uralmash plant began developing the artillery part of a self-propelled 122-mm howitzer, while at the Kharkov Tractor Plant, work began on creating a chassis for a new combat vehicle based on the MT-LB tractor;
August 1969– four self-propelled howitzers are presented for testing;
1970– a new combat vehicle called 122 mm self-propelled howitzer 2S1 "Gvozdika" has been put into service.

Serial production of 2S1 was carried out at KhTZ from 1970 to 1991. During this time, more than 10 thousand self-propelled guns were produced. "Gvozdika" was exported to more than two dozen countries and is now in service with the Russian army.

Along with the production of self-propelled guns at Soviet factories, the production of Gvozdika was established in Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, and Iran. Foreign manufacturers made some adjustments to the base model, but they did not change the main technical characteristics of the Gvozdika self-propelled gun.

Tactical and technical characteristics of "Gvozdika" (TTX 2S1)

Basic parameters	Indicatorsfor 2S1
Combat weight (t)	15,7
Gun caliber (mm)	122
Barrel length (club)	35
Angles VN (deg)	-3…+70
Carryable ammunition (rounds)	40
Minimum firing range of self-propelled gun Gvozdika OFS/OFM (mine) (km)	4,2/-
Maximum firing range OFS/OFM (km)	15,2-
Maximum firing range of ARS (Active rocket) (km)	21,9
Maximum firing range of UAS (Gvozdika precision weapons) (km)	13,5
Engine model	YaMZ-238 (diesel)
Engine power (hp)	500
Maximum speed (km/h)	60
Dimensions (mm)
L/W/H	7260/2850/2715

Design of a self-propelled artillery mount

The design of the 2S1 turret and hull is made according to the classical formula and in accordance with the performance characteristics of the Gvozdika self-propelled gun. It is welded from rolled armor plates up to 20 mm thick, which provides reliable bulletproof and fragmentation protection for the crew.

The sealed body allows the combat vehicle to swim across water obstacles. The body is divided into three sections: control, combat and engine-transmission. Ammunition is mainly placed in the fighting compartment, along the sides at the rear of the hull. The engine compartment is located in the bow of the car.

Carnation cannon

The main armament of the 2S1 combat vehicle is the 122 mm 2A31 howitzer. The gun is unified in terms of ammunition and ballistic indications of the TTX 2S1 “Gvozdika” with a towed 122-mm howitzer D-30. Firing can be carried out with high-explosive fragmentation, cumulative, chemical, smoke, propaganda, and lighting shells.

the howitzer is the main weapon of the 2S1

The vertical aiming angles of the Gvozdika weapon range from -3 to +70 degrees. Ammunition is supplied both from the side and from the ground through a special side door. At the same time, the rate of fire in the first option is 2 rounds per minute, while feeding from the ground increases it to 4-5.

The performance characteristics of the Gvozdika are such that for effective firing, the gunner is provided with a 1OP40 sight, which provides shooting from closed firing positions, and an OP5-37, which is used when destroying visible targets. The commander's tower is equipped with a TKN-35 night sight with an OU-3GA2 searchlight.

Engine and transmission

The 2S1 self-propelled howitzer is equipped with a diesel engine from the Yaroslavl Motor Plant YaMZ238N - V-shaped, 8-cylinder, four-stroke, with a power of 300 hp. The engine is reliable, proven by time and operation in a wide variety of conditions. The running technical characteristics of the Gvozdika self-propelled gun allow the vehicle to quickly move over rough terrain to carry out combat missions.

The transmission is mechanical with two PMP-planetary rotation mechanisms. The gearbox has six forward and one reverse gears.

Chassis

The chassis of the self-propelled howitzer, during its development, caused numerous disputes between supporters of the three options. The winner was the modified chassis of the MT-LB multi-purpose transporter tractor.

Two rollers were added on each side, and some changes were made to the suspension. The width of the track (400 mm) can be increased to 600 mm, increasing the maneuverability of the self-propelled gun.

Modification

Since the 2S1 “Gvozdika” howitzer was put into mass production in the USSR in 1970, and then in some other countries, several modifications of the self-propelled gun have appeared.

Polish howitzer a - Polish production. In addition, the Poles modernized the howitzer itself, releasing the Rak-120 model with a caliber that complies with NATO standards -120 mm.

Artillery Gvozdika, photo 2S1T “Gozdzik”

Model-89, created on the basis of infantry fighting vehicles in the 80s. in Romania.

– Iranian production.

– Russian modification with new system fire control 1V168-1, externally it does not differ from the 2S1 “Gvozdika”

2S34 "Hosta"- a self-propelled artillery gun, which is the result of a deep modernization of the Gvozdika. The combat vehicle is armed with a 120 mm semi-automatic cannon-howitzer-mortar 2A80-1 and a 7.62 mm machine gun.

Produced since 2003. The Gvozdika cannon is designed to suppress and destroy manpower, artillery and mortar batteries, rocket launchers, enemy defensive structures at a distance of up to 14 km.

Engineering and design work was also carried out in other areas of modernizing the 2S1 or using its base to develop new models. But, due to various reasons, no significant success was achieved.

Combat use of a self-propelled howitzer

Unfortunately, the quality of weapons is assessed by the effectiveness of destruction and destruction. Military equipment"Carnation" checking your combat use showed in Afghanistan, in the Iran-Iraq war, in the civil war in Libya and in all local conflicts on post-Soviet space. The Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mount, whose characteristics have been repeatedly confirmed in combat operations, copes well with the assigned tasks. The results for the combat vehicle are worthy. But this is in general.

If we talk specifically about irrecoverable losses, then such statistics are unlikely to exist. Moreover, the opposing sides like to distort the real results of the battle.

There is no data on the losses of the combat vehicle.

I remember how daily articles in the Pravda newspaper were received almost with laughter during the Iran-Iraq war. Side by side, under a general heading, there were reports from Tehran and Baghdad about the successes of the armies. But exactly the opposite.

To understand the tactics of troops using self-propelled guns, one must see the difference between the tasks and capabilities of self-propelled artillery and tank units. self-propelled guns perform combat missions in accordance with the purpose, which is already clear from the name: assault guns, anti-aircraft self-propelled guns, tank destroyers, self-propelled howitzers. The closest thing to tanks are howitzers.

But there are differences here too. The tank fights at maximum high speed, using fire and maneuver to destroy the enemy, in conditions of direct contact.

Self-propelled howitzers, like towed artillery systems, are used for artillery preparation; they fire from a long distance, inaccessible to tanks, from closed firing positions, most often from a standstill.

Self-propelled howitzers fire from a long distance

And the second main way of fighting with a howitzer is to suppress manpower and defensive structures, using a weapon more powerful than that of tanks.

Real fighting, comparative technical characteristics of the self-propelled gun "Gvozdika" with foreign analogues(French AMX-105B, American M-108, British FV433) and reviews from foreign experts allow us to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the howitzer.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

increased survivability and maneuverability of artillery;
the possibility of direct fire and the presence of a cumulative projectile in the ammunition expands combat capabilities self-propelled guns;
high maneuverability and relatively low weight, which allows, together with armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, to overcome water obstacles.

Flaws:

weak armor protection;
low rate of fire 1-2 shots from armor, 4-5 from the ground, versus 9-10, for example, for the British self-propelled gun FV433);
lack of an anti-aircraft machine gun on the commander's tower;
poor visibility of the driver.

As practice shows modern combat in various regional conflicts, the 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer is still quite acceptable for use in tank and motorized rifle units of the ground forces. At least there has been no information about its mass replacement with more modern analogues.

122-mm self-propelled howitzer 2S1 “Gvozdika”

Years of production: 1969-1991

Issued: more than 10,000 pieces.

The 122-mm SG 2S1 "Gvozdika" - a unit created on the basis of the MT-LBu multi-purpose tracked transporter and armed with a 2A31 howitzer, in terms of ballistic characteristics and the ammunition used, is completely unified with the gun equipped with the towed 122-mm howitzer D-30.

The machine body is welded from steel plates, the maximum thickness of which reaches 20 mm. Such armor provides protection from light small arms fire, shell fragments and small-caliber mines. The self-propelled gun “holds” a 7.62-mm B-32 rifle bullet from a distance of 300 m. Three fuel tanks with a total capacity of 550 liters are located in the walls of both sides of the hull. The engine used in the 2S1 is a V-shaped eight-cylinder four-stroke diesel engine YaMZ-238N from the Yaroslavl Motor Plant. In general, the layout of the howitzer is similar to the 152-mm self-propelled gun 2S3 Akatsiya.

The 2S1 entered service with artillery battalions of motorized rifle regiments. The purpose of the "Gvozdika" is the destruction and suppression of manpower and infantry firepower, the destruction of field-type fortifications, making passages in minefields and wire fences, and fighting enemy artillery, mortars and armored vehicles.

The usual ammunition load of a howitzer is limited to three types of ammunition: high-explosive fragmentation (35 pcs.), smoke and several armor-piercing cumulative (5 pcs.) projectiles with stabilizing tail; The maximum firing range of a conventional high-explosive projectile is 15,200 meters. In the case of using active-missile projectiles, the firing range increases to 21,900 meters.

“Gvozdika” is air transportable, that is, it can be transported on An-12, Il-76, An-124 aircraft. To reduce the height of the self-propelled guns, support rollers from the second to the seventh during transportation can be raised and secured using special devices.

The 2S1 “Gvozdika” at one time entered service with all armies of the Warsaw Pact countries (except Romania).

Today the howitzer is in service with the armies of the CIS, including the Belarusian army. Recently, in order to improve the installation, a laser-guided projectile “Kitolov-2” was developed for it. This projectile can hit stationary and moving targets with a high degree of probability.

The Gvozdika hull is used to create turretless reconnaissance, fire control, radiation and chemical reconnaissance, radar surveillance, mine clearance and command vehicles. Production of the SG 2S1 ceased in 1991, but production of auxiliary combat vehicles on its chassis continues.

Tactical and technical characteristics

Combat weight	15.7 t
Combat crew	4 people
Caliber	122 mm
Dimensions	7260x2850x2725 mm
Engine	V-shaped, 8-cylinder, diesel YaMZ-238N, 300 hp.
Reservations: - body forehead - tower forehead	15 mm 20 mm
Armament	122 mm howitzer 2A31
Ammunition	40 shots
Rate of fire	4-5 shots/min
Firing range: - high-explosive fragmentation projectile - active-missile projectile	15,200 m 21,900 m
Maximum speed: - along the highway - cross-country - afloat	60 km/h 26-32 km/h 4.5 km/h
Highway range	500 km
Climbability	35°
Climbable wall	0.7 m
Crossable ditch	3.0 m

A self-propelled artillery unit (SAU) is a type of combat vehicle that is an artillery gun mounted on a wheeled or tracked self-propelled platform. Self-propelled guns are used to support tanks or infantry in defense or attack.

The “finest hour” of self-propelled artillery units was the Second World War. After its completion, they were supplanted by more efficient and versatile (albeit more expensive) tanks. The second birth of self-propelled guns occurred in the 60-70s of the last century. However, both in their design and in their concept of use, the machines of this time were already radically different from the self-propelled guns of the war.

During the war, self-propelled guns performed almost the same tasks as tanks: they destroyed enemy armored vehicles, went on attacks with infantry units, and fired direct fire at enemy fortifications. The Nazis most actively used self-propelled guns. In the German classification of self-propelled guns there were special tank destroyers and several types assault guns. Even self-propelled ones were used anti-aircraft installations, created on the basis of tanks. However further development basic concepts battle tank(MBT) led to the disappearance of tank destroyers and assault guns.

In the mid-60s, the USSR began developing a “flower” series of self-propelled artillery units. Deadly machines were named after beautiful garden plants. One of these “flowers of war” was the 122-mm self-propelled gun 2S1 “Gvozdika”.

This fighting machine for many years was in service with the Soviet army, it was actively exported; today the Gvozdika self-propelled gun is used by the Russian armed forces, as well as in several dozen other armies around the world. In addition to the USSR, the 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled gun was produced under license in Poland and Bulgaria.

In the early 80s, the American military department released a Soviet Big 7 poster. It showed the most dangerous species Soviet weapons ground forces. Among the depicted samples was the Gvozdika self-propelled gun.

During its operation, this artillery mount went through several modernizations; many specialized combat vehicles were developed on its basis, some of which also went into series.

Self-propelled gun 2S1 "Gvozdika" took part in large quantities conflicts, during which it showed its high reliability and effectiveness.

History of creation

After the end of the war, it became clear that the previous concept of using self-propelled artillery as assault guns and tank destroyers was outdated. At the same time, another trend emerged: self-propelled artillery began to displace towed artillery. Self-propelled guns were faster-firing and maneuverable, had a significant firing range, good protection, and could more successfully support their own troops in defense and carry out an artillery offensive.

Already in the fifties, active work began on new models of this military equipment in many countries. In the USSR long time more resources allocated for development missile weapons, this often came to the detriment of aviation and cannon artillery. However, later Soviet strategists nevertheless came to the conclusion that a large-scale war was unlikely, since it would lead to mutual nuclear destruction and began to prepare for local conflicts. They began to actively engage in the creation of new models of self-propelled artillery guns after the resignation of Secretary General Khrushchev.

In 1965, exercises were conducted that clearly showed that Soviet self-propelled artillery was significantly behind its Western counterparts. In 1967, a decree of the USSR Council of Ministers was issued on the start of work on the creation of a 122-mm self-propelled artillery mount, which later received the name 2S1 “Gvozdika”.

Initially, there were three chassis options for the new self-propelled gun: it was proposed to create it on the basis of the BMP-1, the MTLB tracked transporter, and also on the SU-100P chassis. The main armament of the new self-propelled guns was to be the 122 mm D-30 howitzer.

The option with the SU-100P was excluded almost immediately; after modernization, it was decided to use the MTLB tractor as a base for the new self-propelled gun. Initially, this tractor had insufficient stability and did not satisfy the designers in terms of permissible loads on the chassis. Therefore, the MTLB base had to be lengthened and one additional road wheel had to be introduced on each side.

The 2S1 Gvozdika was supposed to replace the 122 mm D-30 and M-30 howitzers in the artillery units of motorized rifle regiments. In 1969, four samples were ready for field testing.

The Kharkov Tractor Plant (KhTZ) was appointed as the lead developer of the installation. The self-propelled howitzer was designed by OKB-9.

The tests carried out showed high level gas contamination in the fighting compartment of a self-propelled gun during firing. Later this problem was resolved. Work was also carried out on the creation of a gun with cap loading, but it ended to no avail. This type of loading did not provide any significant advantages, either in range or in shooting accuracy.

In 1970, the 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled gun was put into service. The next year, serial production of the artillery mount began, only in 1991 it was completed. In 1972, a parachute system was developed for landing the Gvozdika from the air, but the self-propelled guns were never adopted by the Airborne Forces.

In 1971, the car began to be manufactured under license in Poland. In 1979 licensed production was launched in Bulgaria. Bulgarian self-propelled guns in their own way technical specifications inferior to Soviet models.

Description of design

The body of the self-propelled artillery mount has a classic design for these vehicles: in the front part of the vehicle there is a power compartment and a control compartment, and in the middle and rear part there is a fighting compartment. The hull is welded from rolled armor plates, it provides protection from bullets and shrapnel, is completely sealed and allows the self-propelled gun to overcome water obstacles swim. The Gvozdika armor “holds” a 7.62 mm caliber bullet at a firing range of three hundred meters. The 122 mm gun is mounted in a rotating turret, with crew seats located in it.

The light weight of the self-propelled gun allows it to be transported using transport aircraft.

The power compartment of the artillery mount is located in the bow of the vehicle on the right, on the left side of it is the driver’s seat, instruments and controls. On the left side of the turret there is a place for the loader and sighting devices, behind which is the place for the commander of the vehicle. The installation commander's seat is equipped with a rotating turret. The loader is located on the right side of the tower.

The turret of the 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled gun contains a 122 mm 2A31 gun. In terms of its characteristics and the ammunition used, it is completely identical to the 122-mm D-30 howitzer. The gun consists of a pipe, a two-chamber muzzle brake, an ejector and a breech. An electromechanical rammer is used to dispense ammunition. The gun's vertical aiming angles range from -3 to +70°. Shooting can be carried out with shells from the ground; a large stern door is used to feed them. In this case, the rate of fire of the 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled gun is from four to five shots per minute; when firing from the side, it decreases to two shots per minute.

The firing range of the self-propelled gun is from 4070 to 15200 meters.

The ammunition load of the 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled gun is forty rounds, some of the shells are located along the side walls of the hull, and some are located along the rear and side walls of the turret. The self-propelled gun can use a wide range of ammunition: high-explosive fragmentation, cumulative, chemical, agitation, smoke, and lighting. Projectiles can be equipped various types fuses. The Kitolov adjustable ammunition was developed specifically for the 2S1 Gvozdika artillery mount.

In 1997, an active-reactive 122-mm projectile was developed specifically for this vehicle, which allows increasing the firing range to 21.9 km.

The self-propelled gun fire control system consists of a TKN-3B combined sighting device, which can be used at any time of the day, as well as two TNPO-170A periscope sights. All of them are installed in the commander's cupola. The gunner has a 1OP40 panoramic sight (used for firing from closed positions) and an OP5-37 sight, which is used during direct fire. The driver's and loader's positions are equipped with surveillance devices.

The vehicle is equipped with a V-shaped diesel engine YaMZ-238N with eight cylinders. Its maximum power is 300 hp. With. The transmission is mechanical, has six forward gears and one reverse gear. The fuel tanks are located in the walls of the sides of the car; their total volume is 550 liters, which is enough to cover 500 km on the highway.

The chassis of the self-propelled unit is a modified chassis of the MTLB tractor. Two additional road wheels were introduced into it. The guide wheels are located at the rear of the unit, and the drive wheels are at the front. The width of the self-propelled tracks is 400 mm; if necessary, tracks 600 mm wide can be installed on the vehicle, which significantly increases the cross-country ability of the self-propelled gun.

The Gvozdika self-propelled gun is capable of overcoming water obstacles. Movement in water occurs due to the rewinding of caterpillars, maximum speed car speed is 4.5 km/h.

Self-propelled gun modifications

Since the launch of the self-propelled gun into mass production, several modifications of the vehicle have been created:

2S1M1 - Russian modification with a new fire control system 1B168-1.
2S34 "Hosta" - Russian modification, developed in 2003. It is equipped with a 2A80-1 howitzer and a 7.62-mm PKT machine gun on the commander's cupola. In 2008, it was adopted by the Russian Armed Forces.
2C1T Goździk. Polish modification of a self-propelled gun with an improved TOPAZ fire control system.
Rak-120. Another Polish modification, which was created in 2008-2009. The 122 mm gun was replaced by a 120 mm mortar with an automatic loader. Ammunition - 60 rounds.
Model 89 is a Romanian modification created in the 80s. The vehicle uses the MLI-84 BMP chassis.
Raad-1 is an Iranian 122 mm self-propelled howitzer mounted on a Boragh IFV chassis.

The modernization of the 2S1 Gvozdika has also begun in Ukraine. In 2019, KhTZ received three self-propelled guns. They planned to install a Swedish Volvo engine, new electrical equipment, modern systems communications and navigation made in Ukraine.

In addition to modifications, different years Several special vehicles were created on the basis of the Gvozdika self-propelled gun: the 2S8 Astra self-propelled mortar, the 2S15 Norov self-propelled anti-tank gun, self-propelled gun 2S17 "Nona-SV", a tracked version of the MLRS "Grad" and a multi-purpose tractor 2S1-N.

The creation of various vehicles based on the Gvozdika self-propelled guns was also carried out in other countries:

The BMP-23 is an infantry fighting vehicle created in Bulgaria. It was equipped with a 23-mm 2A14 cannon and a Malyutka anti-tank missile system.
LPG - artillery fire control vehicle. It can also be used as an ambulance.
KhTZ-26N is a Ukrainian snow and swamp-going vehicle based on the Gvozdika self-propelled gun chassis.
TGM-126-1 - Ukrainian transport vehicle on the 2S1 chassis.

Organizational structure

This self-propelled howitzer entered service with artillery divisions of tank and motorized rifle regiments. The division consisted of three batteries, each of which had six self-propelled guns. In total, the division included sixteen self-propelled guns.

Combat use of self-propelled gun "Gvozdika"

First serious conflict, in which “Gvozdika” took part, was the war in Afghanistan. Typically, 2S1 batteries followed the assault units and fired direct fire. Less commonly, the installations were used for firing from closed positions. In general, the Gvozdiki performed quite well in difficult Afghan conditions.

Self-propelled guns "Gvozdika" participated in almost all conflicts that took place in the territory former USSR after its collapse.

“Carnations” were used by troops of the unrecognized Transnistrian Republic against the armed forces of Moldova. These installations were also used during the Civil War in Tajikistan.

Russian federal troops used 2S1 in the first and second Chechen campaigns. During the first war, several self-propelled guns with ammunition were captured by Chechen separatists.

"Carnations" were used during the Georgian-Ossetian conflicts. These vehicles are actively used in eastern Ukraine by both government troops and separatists.

The self-propelled gun "Gvozdiki" was used during the Yugoslav wars by all participants in the confrontation.

Back in the 80s, Gvozdiki self-propelled guns were delivered to Iraq and took part in the Iran-Iraq conflict. The Iraqi Army then used them against coalition forces in 1991. It should be noted that Soviet artillery (both rocket and cannon) did not perform at its best in that war.

In 2010-2011 During the Libyan Civil War, Carnations were used by government forces against rebels. Currently, these vehicles are actively used by almost all warring parties in the Syrian conflict. They're in large quantities were supplied to Syrian government forces and often fell into the hands of the rebels as trophies. They are used by both the al-Nusra Front and ISIS, banned in Russia.

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them