"Peonies" for the fleet. Coastal troops will receive new artillery
SPG 2С7М Malka fires
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On the transfer of "Peonies" to the coastal troops on September 16, the publication Izvestia reported. Perspective new weapon artillerymen of coastal forces of all fleets will receive, and the Baltic will be the first. In addition to 2С7 guns, artillerymen will receive Zoo counter-battery firing radars. The new material part will increase the combat potential of the coastal forces as a whole.
The main formations and units of the coastal forces of the Baltic Fleet are part of the 11 Army Corps. In the city of Kaliningrad, the 244th Artillery Neman Red Banner, the orders of the Suvorov and Kutuzov brigade, armed with various weapons, are serving. Apparently, it was she who was to master a new technique.
According to Izvestia, the self-propelled guns will be available to the Baltic Fleet at the end of this year or at the beginning of the next. More precise terms, as well as the number of transmitted "Peonies" have not yet been published.
It should be noted that before 2С7 the coastal troops were absent. The Russian Navy has various artillery systems in its arsenal, but "Peonies" were previously available only to the ground forces. Now they will be in both the army and the navy, which can give certain advantages.
Guns and locators
At the moment, the self-propelled 2С7 "Peony" is one of the most powerful domestic artillery systems capable of showing unique combat qualities. The solution of the main tasks is entrusted to such equipment, and in the near future such an effective tool will be available not only to the ground forces.
The 2X7 Pion or 2X7M Malka combat vehicle carries an 2A44 rifled gun of 203 mm caliber with a barrel length of 55 caliber. The gun mount is mounted on a self-propelled armored tracked chassis with high mobility rates. In recent years, a project to modernize equipment has been implemented, providing for the replacement of parts of equipment and the introduction of new fire control equipment. All these improvements provide the updated technology with significant advantages over the base model.
The 2X7 ammunition can include shots of seven types for various purposes. Nuclear munitions have also been developed in the past. Conventional shells have a mass of about 110 kg and carry a warhead weighing 13-17 kg. The maximum firing range depends on the type of projectile. Active-reactive 3ОФ44 - 47,5 km shows the greatest. "Peony" independently carries 4 shots, "Malka" - 8. As a result, the bulk of the ammunition from 40 rounds is transported by a separate transport vehicle.
1L259 “Zoo” reconnaissance radar system is designed to track the flight of artillery shells. It is intended for reconnaissance of enemy positions and for monitoring the results of firing own artillery. Also, the radar complex is able to track aircraft and provide data about them. The complex’s equipment is mounted on an MT-LBu armored chassis, which simplifies deployment and departure from a position.
When working on large-caliber artillery shells, the Zoo complex is capable of calculating gun positions at ranges up to 15-20 km. For multiple launch rocket systems, this parameter increases to 25-35 km. Information about the enemy or the places where their shells fall in automatic mode are issued to the command post.
"Peonies" and "Zoos" can be used to effectively defeat the various targets encountered by coastal forces. First of all, these are enemy troops in positions, fortified objects, warehouses, etc. It is also possible to use artillery on surface targets. The presence of radar reconnaissance provides both the timely detection of targets and the adjustment of fire.
203-mm shells of all types are highly powerful and can effectively hit a wide range of targets. Depending on the type of target, the calculation of "Peony" can use high-explosive, concrete-piercing or cluster shells.
With the help of modern communication systems, “Peonies” will be included in the general control loops, ensuring effective joint work with other artillery complexes and military branches. Having received self-propelled guns 2С7, artillery units, already armed with various self-propelled guns and towed guns, will become a more flexible tool for solving combat missions.
Other guns
The Navy's coastal forces are armed with several artillery systems of different classes, both towed and self-propelled - from portable 82-mm mortars to 152-mm self-propelled howitzers. Almost all such samples are used not only by coastal, but also by ground forces.
The most powerful and long-range models of barrel artillery in the coastal forces are the 2X19 Msta-S self-propelled guns, as well as the towed 2A65 Msta-B and 2A36 Hyacinth-B self-propelled guns. All these systems have an 152 mm caliber and are capable of hitting targets at ranges up to 33,5 km. Moreover, in a number of key characteristics, they are inferior to the 2С7 “Peony” product.
The most important component of the naval artillery is the coastal complex A-222 "Coast". It includes up to six self-propelled guns with 130-mm guns, as well as a control point and auxiliary equipment. "Shore" can use several types of shells and attack moving targets at ranges up to 23 km. The main objective of the A-222 is the defeat of small and medium surface ships moving at speeds up to 90-100 nodes. For a number of reasons, the Bereg complex was not widely used, and so far not all fleets of the Russian Navy have it.
Artillery reinforcement
For the first time in modern stories coastal troops will receive artillery of high power, so far only available to the army. The transfer of the necessary self-propelled guns and RLC for them will take place at the turn of the 2019-2020 years, and together with the equipment the fleet will get new opportunities.
It is easy to see that the self-propelled 2X7 "Peony" has serious advantages over other coastal artillery. Such advantages are provided by a greater range of fire with any type of shells and a greater ammunition capacity. The help of the 1L259 “Zoo” radar reconnaissance complex will ensure accuracy growth to the required values.
The introduction of "Peonies" in the coastal forces will increase the area of responsibility of their artillery. First of all, it will be useful in organizing coastal defense. The ships of the likely enemy will have to stay farther from the coastline, and breaking through the cannon fire zone will become more difficult and dangerous. Moreover, any hit of an 203-mm projectile can be fatal for a small or medium ship.
When using 2С7 against land targets, coastal troops will receive all the advantages that the army already has. 203-mm artillery will be able to effectively destroy the fortifications and accumulations of enemy troops in the entire range of ranges, including when used together with other complexes.
In general, the transfer of a certain number of self-propelled guns 2С7 "Peony" to the coastal forces of the Russian Navy should be considered the right step that could positively affect their combat effectiveness. High-powered artillery showed itself in the best way in parts of the ground forces, and its appearance in the fleet should have only positive consequences.
- Ryabov Kirill
- Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation / mil.ru, Defense.ru
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