Gods of war in the Donbass. Part of 2. Pocket Artillery

17
An important place in the defense of Donbass was occupied by the so-called “pocket artillery”, the typical representative of which was the single-barreled rocket system 9P132 “Grad-P”, which has a second name - “Partizan”. It is noteworthy that the Soviet Army was not armed with such systems, although the Partizan since 1966 was produced at the Kovrov plant. All products were exported. The unit is compact, the assembly weighs only 55 kg and is based on a tripod. The 9М22М rocket can be launched by such a system right into 11 km.

The main source of the "partisan" Gradov can be organized according to Russian technologies in the production of enterprises in Donetsk. At least, this was mentioned by the representative of the ATO Andrei Zarubin. In general, the mere presence of single-barreled rocket artillery in no way contradicts the Minsk agreements concerning the ban on RZSO. The tactic of using the Guerrilla was to cover the barrel self-propelled artillery of the 2C3 “Acacia” type, as well as self-targeted point strikes, especially effective in urban areas.















Gods of war in the Donbass. Part of 2. Pocket Artillery


Systems of remote clearance of various classes in the armed forces of the militia of Donbass

It is not at the intended purpose, but the UR-77 "Meteorit" remote mine clearance installation is used very effectively by the militia. Of course, such equipment is difficult to attribute to the category of “pocket artillery”, but it is impossible to ignore it. The elongated charge of such "Serpents of the Gorynych" has a length of 93 meters, the mass of explosives in it 725 kg and the launch range to 500 meters. In particular, three “Meteorite” installations at the same time worked on one of the terminals of the Donetsk airport. Totally, the order of 2175 kg of explosives was detonated, which is equivalent to a good bombing airstrike. The origin of such a formidable technology in the ranks of the Donbass militia is still not clearly defined: the Ukrainian side points to Russia, and self-defense claims that they seized the equipment from the APU a couple of years ago. Similarly, Soviet remote mine clearance installations are used by government forces in the Syrian conflict.


Result of work of UR-77 on the terminal of the Donetsk airport

In the category of "pocket artillery" the most significant place is occupied by mortars in the range of calibers 60-120 mm. In service with the APU are 120-millimeter "Nona", 2С12 "Sledge", PM-38, and 82-millimeter 2B9 "Cornflower", 2B14 "Tray" and BM-37. In this sector, Ukraine has a considerable reserve of its own production. In the 1998 year, they began to produce automatic “Cornflowers”, and a year earlier they even created their own 82-mm CBA-48М1 mortar. This is an improved version of the Soviet 2B14-1, the weight of which is reduced immediately by 7 kilograms due to the use of titanium alloys. For a long time, this mortar lay in the vaults until it was put on production in the 2016 year (according to other sources, in the 2014 year).




82-mm CBA-M1 on exposure and in operation




120-mm mortar "Hammer" and its dual-loading protection device, which does not always work

More powerful weapons is the infamous 120-mm mortar "Hammer", created on the basis of 2B11. The gun is equipped with a NATO MUM-706M sight and protection against double loading. Such a mortar weighs about 210 kg, accelerates a mine to 211 m / s at a distance of up to 7 km. The manufacturer is Kiev "Mayak". On paper with this mortar, everything is fine, but the real tests and troop exploitation revealed a lot of flaws. In the summer of 2016, a mortar exploded for the first time at a position at the Wide Lan proving ground, killing a soldier and wounding eight more soldiers. Two years later, at the Rivne training ground "Hammer" already claimed three lives of soldiers of the 128 th separate mountain infantry brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (9 were injured). At the end of September, 2018, the next “self-explosion” of the Ukrainian mortar took place during the shooting of the 72-th separate mechanized brigade. One of the reasons for the Ukrainian side is double loading, which indicates a low level of training for the personnel of mortar crews, as well as outright dampness of the “Hammer” design. In total, of the recorded twelve “self-explosions”, seven were precisely for this reason, and in other cases the mortar exploded due to the premature actuation of the munition.

A definite plus can be put to the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for their tactics of “wandering batteries” consisting of three mortar calculations with trucks (pick-up trucks) and a covering group armed with AGS-17. Quadrocopters from China “Phantom” are usually used as spotters, with the help of which operators evaluate the results of a mortar strike and search for new targets. Strikes with such batteries occur in the same scenario: after the search for the target, the subunit quickly advances to the enemy, mines the enemy within 12-15 minutes and, without waiting for an answer, is promptly removed to the place of deployment. That is why now in the land forces of Ukraine special emphasis is being placed on increasing the mobility of the “pocket artillery”. Often, sabotage groups move in civilian cars in the rear of the LDNR, without attracting the special attention of local residents. And in Donetsk for this purpose garbage trucks equipped with mortars were used. The idea of ​​"roaming batteries" is not the absolute know-how of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - in this manner Soviet and German mobile artillery units worked during the Second World War. Effectively use similar tactics militants and government troops in Syria.






Self-propelled mortar BTR-3М1




Self-propelled mortar BTR-3М2

Innovations in the Ukrainian military industry were self-propelled mortars on the BTR-3 platform. The artillery part of the mortars was developed by specialists of the state-owned enterprise “Design Bureau“ Artillery Armament ”from Kiev. Mortars were given the names BTR-3М1 (82-mm) and BTR-3М2 (120-mm) and were supplied to the National Guard in unit quantities. For self-propelled 120-mm mortar found export use - for example, the Thai army bought a lot of these machines.








"Bars-8MMK"

Ukroboronservis has developed a much more modern Bars-8MK armored vehicle, introduced in the 2016 year. The 120-mm mortar on such a “Bars” is called the UKR-MMC and is equipped with a computerized guidance system. The crew of a self-propelled mortar consists of three people. Data on the adoption of weapons and broad supplies to the APU yet.


Spaniard in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The idea of ​​Ukraine purchasing several Alakran cars in March 2017 in Spain looks a bit absurd. Obviously, the military industry of Ukraine is unable to cope with the independent development of such a "complex" technology. The Spaniards developed the “Alkaran” with a 120-mm mortar relatively recently (2015 year) and adapted to equip highly mobile rapid response units. The base can serve as foreign jeeps (Toyota Land Cruiser 70, Land Rover Defender, Jeep J8 and Agrale Marrua), as well as any Ukrainian light-class armored car. The Spanish system is capable of receiving information both from unmanned aerial vehicles and from counter battery systems.








60-mm mortar for special forces KBA118 "Tuning fork"

A certain innovation of the war in the Donbas was the widespread use of 60-mm mortars. The KBA118 mortar “Kamerton” was developed and put into service, which are used by the special forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It shoots about 1500 meters and has a unique weight for mortars of only 12,5 kg. Such a “kid” is produced at the Mayak plant in Kiev since 2016. Data on mines for the "Tuning fork" differ - according to one source, they are still being imported from abroad, according to others - they have established their own production.

To be continued ...
Our news channels

Subscribe and stay up to date with the latest news and the most important events of the day.

17 comments
Information
Dear reader, to leave comments on the publication, you must sign in.
  1. 0
    25 November 2018 06: 10
    Is a 60-mm rifled (with ready-to-use rifled mines) mortar needed for Russian special forces?
    1. +2
      25 November 2018 12: 25
      Quote: riwas
      Is a 60-mm rifled (with ready-to-use rifled mines) mortar needed for Russian special forces?

      Father told how during World War II it was necessary to crawl through the open field to captured German bunkers in order to break through the embrasures in them in the opposite direction. Twice they fell under machine guns and both were crushed from a company mortar taken with them. After completing the task, they crawled in reverse order and again had to press machine guns twice. According to him, without a mortar it would hardly have been possible to pass without heavy losses, or even in general.
    2. +2
      27 November 2018 00: 45
      Quote: riwas

      Is a 60 mm rifled mortar needed for Russian special forces?

      RPO / RShG / RPG and the ability to cause a high-precision strike now occupy its niche.
  2. +3
    25 November 2018 08: 19
    The sights are Soviet, another 50th year of release, hehe .... And the model was even earlier, one thousand 944 military models.
  3. +3
    25 November 2018 10: 11
    I was alarmed by the phrase about the effective use of the "partisan" in urban areas. Not on Feng Shui like that .... Thanks to the author, in this part there were less emotions, but more information.
    1. 0
      25 November 2018 11: 31
      Quote: Leader of the Redskins
      I was alarmed by the phrase about the effective use of the "partisan" in urban areas.

      It's about direct fire
  4. 0
    25 November 2018 10: 35
    A mortar in the trench war phase is just a necessity. It was infa that the ukrovermacht received "silent" mortars according to the principle of our "Gall" ... Only the range is absolutely no ... 800 meters in total.
  5. +5
    25 November 2018 11: 30
    "Wandering batteries" 8))))
    The combat effectiveness of three 82-mm mortars is minimal, therefore, the only achievement of these "batteries" may be to mislead the enemy about the battle formations of artillery. Previously, under the "totalitarian scoop" it was believed that this could be achieved by means of nomadic weapons 8)))) But apparently the burning of manuals and statutes in the process of de-Sovietization affects ...
    The second option is harassing fire on large targets, for example, settlements. A piece that has long become trivial for the "liberators"
    1. -1
      25 November 2018 12: 32
      Quote: Spade
      The combat effectiveness of three 82-mm mortars is minimal

      Recently watched a documentary Ukrainian film. The strong point, it looks like a company, with trenches, dugouts, with artillery MT-12 and ZU-23 and something else, was fired from mortars at night. About 60 minutes The result - 12 killed, 18 wounded. All cars in the forest belt are either beaten or burned out.
      1. +3
        25 November 2018 15: 59
        Living force and firepower covered, suppression, 82-mm mines-- 700 pieces per hectare.
        You have been misled
        1. 0
          26 November 2018 16: 04
          Quote: Spade
          Living force and firepower covered, suppression, 82-mm mines-- 700 pieces per hectare.
          You have been misled
          -if this NORMAL troops AT WAR.... and if it is ukrovermaht or similar paramilitary forces ... when digging trenches in the bastard ....
          I think it can easily be
    2. +6
      25 November 2018 13: 42
      But already with 120 mm mortars you can achieve a serious effect. We got 120 mm in jeeps with shock absorbers that compensate for the recoil that destroys the chassis of the car. Shooting right from the jeep.
      1. 0
        25 November 2018 20: 39
        We got 120 mm in jeeps with shock absorbers that compensate for the recoil that destroys the chassis of the car. Shooting right from the jeep.

        Thank you for sharing information. Strange, all this ... why do you need a jeep if the IDF has such a charm. smile
        1. +3
          25 November 2018 23: 57
          This is an old man. The outgoing generation of mortars.
          And I found even more ancient ones - on semi-tracked armored personnel carriers.
          They always crawled to "support with fire" when the next skirmish (or shootout) with the militants on the border was already over. And we, the infantry, laughed at them.
          I didn’t find any pictures, I found a picture:
  6. +2
    25 November 2018 13: 02
    If the United States stands behind the Kiev regime, it is necessary to hit the United States. And these are completely different calibers.
  7. 0
    28 November 2018 08: 09
    A jeep is more mobile and cheaper .... ours, too, was mutilating something on the basis of the Tiger 4x4 and 6x6, but something was quiet.
  8. -1
    18 January 2019 02: 17
    Don't you think the term "pocket artillery" refers to hand grenades? But not like 120-mm mortars. You can't literally put an 82-mm mine in your pocket, let alone a mortar.

"Right Sector" (banned in Russia), "Ukrainian Insurgent Army" (UPA) (banned in Russia), ISIS (banned in Russia), "Jabhat Fatah al-Sham" formerly "Jabhat al-Nusra" (banned in Russia) , Taliban (banned in Russia), Al-Qaeda (banned in Russia), Anti-Corruption Foundation (banned in Russia), Navalny Headquarters (banned in Russia), Facebook (banned in Russia), Instagram (banned in Russia), Meta (banned in Russia), Misanthropic Division (banned in Russia), Azov (banned in Russia), Muslim Brotherhood (banned in Russia), Aum Shinrikyo (banned in Russia), AUE (banned in Russia), UNA-UNSO (banned in Russia), Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People (banned in Russia), Legion “Freedom of Russia” (armed formation, recognized as terrorist in the Russian Federation and banned)

“Non-profit organizations, unregistered public associations or individuals performing the functions of a foreign agent,” as well as media outlets performing the functions of a foreign agent: “Medusa”; "Voice of America"; "Realities"; "Present time"; "Radio Freedom"; Ponomarev; Savitskaya; Markelov; Kamalyagin; Apakhonchich; Makarevich; Dud; Gordon; Zhdanov; Medvedev; Fedorov; "Owl"; "Alliance of Doctors"; "RKK" "Levada Center"; "Memorial"; "Voice"; "Person and law"; "Rain"; "Mediazone"; "Deutsche Welle"; QMS "Caucasian Knot"; "Insider"; "New Newspaper"