Russia’s Hyacinth-S (2S5 Giatsint-S) self-propelled howitzer, against the American M-777 howitzer on the Ukraine battlefield, and the ending, was extremely unexpected for observers.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has published a video showing the 152 mm self-propelled howitzer (ACS) Hyacinth-S in action during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine battle. This self-propelled gun was responsible for destroying of a 155 mm M-777 artillery unit that the US recently gave to Ukraine.
Hyacinth-S is a 152mm self-propelled howitzer introduced into battle by the Soviet Union in 1976 and continued to be built until 1991, with several upgrades. An open turret is used on the Hyacinth-S self-propelled gun.
It uses a chassis modified from the SA-4 Krug surface-to-air missile system with good cross-country mobility, and can carry 30 152 mm rounds with a range of 28 kilometers, or 33-40 kilometers for rocket-assisted projectiles. this self-propelled howitzer uses Centimeter and Krasnopol guided rounds; greatly increase shooting accuracy.
The M-777 “ultra-light” towed howitzer, with a caliber of 155 mm, entered service with the US Army in 2005. The M-777 cannon is actually a British design, but the final assembly is done in U.S.A.
The normal firing range of the M-777 cannon is 25 km; The M777 may be combined with the M982 Excalibur GPS-guided munition, which allows accurate fire at a range of up to 40 km. The system has a highly accurate Artillery Digitization computerized fire control system, which uses GPS satellite signals and data received from drones, for targeting.
“The advantage of the Hyacinth-S cannon is that it has its own self-propelled track, allowing the self-propelled gun to reach speeds of up to 60 km/h; while the M-777 cannon is a towed Howitzer; can be transported by heavy transport helicopters tor trucks.
Former commander of the 58th Army of the Russian Army, Lieutenant General Anatoly Khrulev, explains the principle of artillery battle tactics, also known as artillery counterattacks: “The peculiarity of the artillery battle is that the two sides do not see each other at a considerable distance.
This happened during the Russian-Georgian war of 2008; The artillery batteries of the Georgian Army fired from positions in the territory of the country, without entering the territory of South Ossetia, that is, the Russian gunners did not see.
However, the Georgian artillery could not see the Russian artillery with the naked eye; but the artillery reconnaissance force played an observational role, including acoustic reconnaissance and artillery radar reconnaissance.
And we won the artillery duel, surrounding the artillery positions of the Georgian Army with such precision that they stopped showing up and stopped firing”; said the Russian general.
In the current situation, in the duel between the Russian Giacintov-S and the American M-777 howitzer, new methods of artillery reconnaissance were used, mainly aerial reconnaissance by means of aerial reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
“It can be assumed that the Russian Army also has access to space intelligence data transmitted from satellites, and coordinates of targets. At the same time, sound reconnaissance method is also used;
When enemy artillery fires, acoustic reconnaissance stations will collect and calculate to detect Ukrainian artillery positions; combined with other means of reconnaissance such as radar or reconnaissance with optical weapons. Judging by the results of artillery combat, Russian artillerymen are much better at this art”; Mr. Sergey Belousov added.
The M-777 howitzer is a modern weapon, according to military experts, the M-777 cannon itself is not too difficult to use with the gunners; but with the commander from the battery captain and above, it is a rather complicated job.
To calculate the element of fire, forces when having to use many devices, including UAVs, can not only observe the entire battlefield, but also digitize it to the level of exact coordinates; This requires training, synergies, and precision. To do so requires intensive training.
Also, according to the analysis of military experts, M-777 artillery needs to move from one location to another to avoid enemy counter-fire. The M-777 howitzer weighs more than four tons and is ten meters long; When moving, it needs at least a five-ton truck to be able to move.
Once the artillery finished firing, if it stays in the same place for another 10 minutes, the system will certainly be covered by enemy fire. Currently, the Ukrainian Army does not have heavy helicopters to transport M-777 artillery, but moves only by trailers, so it is easy to be detected by Russian aerial reconnaissance.
According to Russian expert Belousov, Ukraine also possesses a number of self-propelled guns Hyacinth-S, inherited from the Soviet Army, but the Ukrainian Army does not maintain these types of artillery in combat service.
“After 1991, the Ukrainian Army inherited 18 self-propelled Hyacinth-S howitzers (equivalent to 1 battalion). But then, the Ukrainian Army began to reduce the number of artillery almost immediately, when it declared independence. In the first year alone, nine artillery and rocket brigades and an infantry corps (including many regiments, artillery brigades) were disbanded.
In the following years, another 17 brigades and artillery regiments of the Ukrainian Army were reduced; These surplus cannons and ammunition are exported to African and Asian countries and many shells in stock have expired. So when the war broke out, Ukraine had to buy or beg for artillery from the countries of the former Soviet allies, or from the West.