He became known for passing the state tests of the self-propelled gun “Malva”. The gun with a caliber of 152 mm is mounted on a four-axle wheeled chassis with all-wheel drive BAZ – 6610-027. Only the cockpit of the combat vehicle has reservations, and the gun crew is “in the invigorating fresh air.” To whom is this “flower of death” intended as a gift?
If suddenly someone missed it, we analyzed in detail the issue of the appearance of highly mobile self-propelled guns in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine in an article dated January 23, 2023. French, Czech and Swedish guns of 155 mm caliber, mounted on a wheeled chassis, able to fire back and quickly change position, pose a real danger to Russian troops. As we then established, among the mass-produced wheeled self-propelled guns of the same class, we have only the A-222 Bereg 130-mm self-propelled coastal artillery system, but its firing range is seriously inferior to their NATO counterparts.
Now we can expect the appearance of “Malva” in the front. However, self-propelled guns on wheelbase, and even without anti-fragmentation armor, are subject to serious criticism. Why were they needed then?
From lightweight to heavyweight
In search of an answer to this question, we invite you to come back to the real experience of the use of our airborne forces during a special operation. For their intended purpose – the capture of a bridgehead and its retention until the approach of the main forces – “winged infantry” has been used more than once over the past year. Russian paratroopers occupied the beachhead near Gostomel with a fight and for several days bravely fought back against the numerically superior enemy, who used the full range of available weapons against them.
Perhaps one day the airborne forces will again be used to capture a bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnieper, but now they are actually used as light infantry in the assault of fortified areas. For example, paratroopers must cover the flanks of the PMC Wagner during the operation to liberate Artemovsk (Bakhmut). There is no doubt about the level of training of the airborne troops, but there are questions about how and with what they are armed, how well their weapons correspond to new tasks and a standard-equipped enemy of NATO. As an illustrative example, one can turn to one of the heaviest offensive weapons of the Russian Airborne Forces, the 2S25 Sprut-SD airborne self-propelled anti-tank gun.
Following the requirements of the need to parachute equipment, the developers installed a 125 mm caliber gun on the chassis of the Object 934 light amphibious tank, also known as Judge. Its aluminum armor provides frontal protection against 12.7mm bullets, as well as full protection against 7.62mm bullets and artillery shrapnel. In conditions of positional battles, where enemy artillery of a caliber of 155 mm operates, it does not matter. You also cannot storm fortified areas on the Octopus.
The caliber of this light armored vehicle seems to be decent, and it is even quite boldly called a self-propelled anti-tank gun. However, in the meat grinder of positional battles, the Sprut crew has practically no chance either against a tank, or against infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers armed with rapid-fire cannons 30-mm guns, not against specialized anti-tank artillery and self-propelled guns, or against MLRS, or against anti-tank systems, or against RPGs, not even against machine guns with a caliber of 12.7 mm . For attack helicopters and enemy drones, the Russian landing vehicle is also an easy target.
Let’s make a reservation right away that this review is not intended to disparage or in any way belittle our airborne equipment. It’s just that for the Octopus, Non and other shells with their aluminum armor there are completely different tasks than participating in a positional war, where everything is decided by high-caliber artillery and precise advice . The fact that the purpose and structure of the airborne forces must be revised has become clear for some time, and the special operation in Ukraine only confirmed this.
Assault by airmobile helicopter, yes. Skydiving far behind enemy lines? Thus, the enemy air defense system simply will not allow our military transport aircraft to fly there. Storming Ukrainian fortified areas alongside the “Wagnerians”? Sorry, but the armament of paratroopers should then correspond to the task.
In fact, the trend of its “weighting” began in 2016, when in the 7th Novorossiysk and 76th Pskov airborne assault divisions, the brigades of the 11th, 31st, 56th and 83rd airborne assault divisions formed the first companies separate tanks, which were armed with tanks T – 72B3. Valery Yuryev, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Union of Russian Paratroopers, commented in an interview with Izvestia on the event as follows:
In Afghanistan, the first experience was gained in the use of tank units of the airborne forces. Then it became clear that in local conflicts tanks are the most suitable vehicles for a wide range of combat missions. In modern conditions, airborne units sometimes have to act like motorized rifle units, they must be able to suppress the enemy with great firepower. Therefore, the paratroopers needed tank battalions, which in sufficient quantities would provide powerful and protected firearms.
That is, even then the rapprochement of the airborne assault units of the Airborne Forces in terms of functionality with the motorized rifle units began. The next step was taken during the special operation when, in order to enhance firing capabilities, the “winged infantry” began to receive 152-mm Msta-B howitzers instead of 122-mm D-30 guns mm lighter. the transfer of TOS heavy flamethrower systems to Russian paratroopers was very important. – 1A “Solntsepek”, which the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation commented on as follows:
In the Saratov region, in one of the advanced formations of radiation, chemical and biological protection troops, for the first time the transfer of heavy flamethrower systems TOS – 1A Solntsepek took place in the interests of airborne forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. <…> The transfer to the crews of modernized combat vehicles TOS-1A Solntsepek took place for the first time in the history of the Airborne Forces.
And now the state tests of the 152-mm Malva self-propelled gun, which should soon begin to enter the troops, have been completed. Thus, it should go in the first place to the artillery units of the Airborne Forces to strengthen their firepower.
The plans of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation were to create real rapid reaction forces from the landing troops, which can be quickly deployed anywhere in the world, where they can act independently, carrying out a large range of tasks. The design of the Malva allows it to be transported in Il-76 transport aircraft, the wheeled chassis allows it to move quickly over long distances, and its large caliber allows it to hit various targets: infantry and equipping enemies in the front line to tactical nuclear attack weapons in the close rear at ranges up to 24 km. The fact that the gun crew is outside without armor cover is a forced payment for the mobility of Russian self-propelled guns.
Author: Sergey Marzhetsky Photos used: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
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