The frequent appearance of backward 2S12 120mm towed mortars on the front line is mainly due to the problem of the Russian army’s firepower establishment. But a piece of news came out in the last two days-probably pointing out the new generation of 2S34 120mm self-propelled mortars used by the Russian army in Ukraine.
The 2S34 120mm self-propelled mortar was the first batch of equipment that the Russian army entered the Ukrainian battlefield with the frontline troops, but it became famous not because of its record but because Ukrainian farmers killed it in April 2022. It is famous overseas for picking up waste and dragging it away with a tractor.
In fact, the Russian armed forces inherited from the Soviet army have always attached great importance to artillery capabilities. Their powerful firepower projection capabilities are also key to their global deterrence. Even during the Cold War, Russian tactics during the offensive included artillery, including howitzers, towed guns, and multiple rocket launchers, to deliver heavy blows to Ukrainian forces.
Not only that, but the Soviet army is also very good at weapon innovation. Its original “mortar howitzer” is even a very remarkable innovation-it generally uses the short artillery barrel of the mortar, but it also uses the gun of the howitzer.
The tail-loading method can attack indirectly like ordinary mortars and directly like howitzers; even armored targets can be knocked out. The Soviet Union/Russia developed and produced the 2S1 122mm self-propelled mortar and the 2S9 120mm self-propelled mortar in the 1970s and 1980s.
But in the late 1990s, Russia developed a new generation of 2S31 120mm self-propelled mortar: it is based on the BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle chassis, equipped with a long-barreled 2A80 120mm rifled mortar, probably from the experience of the Chechen war He spared no expense to equip it with advanced fire control equipment such as laser rangefinder and independent thermal imager, and also added a remote-controlled machine gun turret, but this also caused the price of the bicycle to be too expensive, and the Russian army only had a very small number of it. , but Azerbaijan bought 18 doors.
But after all, the Russian army has so little money and food. If you want to think about good equipment, you really have to dig into your wallet to solve it, but you can’t continue to use outdated equipment, so the Russian army is saving it in its own equipment warehouse.
The reason why 2S31 is expensive is nothing more than two points. One is that it uses the BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle chassis, and the other is that it is equipped with a valuable fire control system. The 2S34 120mm self-propelled howitzer belongs to a reverse drive.
It re-discovered the MT-LB multi-purpose tracked armored vehicle chassis used by 2S1 (this chassis is simply a universal chassis for the Soviet/Russian army and will be opened separately on another day. Let me introduce it in an article!) and installed a brand new welded turret. Although the walking ability is much weaker, it can still keep up with the main force. Besides, it is not unusable, right?
The 2S34 120mm self-propelled mortar is equipped with a 2A80-1 120mm mortar developed from the 2A80 of the 2S31, equipped with a muzzle brake and an automatic loader. It can launch a 17.3 kg fin-gliding extended-range grenade, anti-tank submunition, and fin-stabilized armor-piercing projectile. Its maximum pitch angle is -2°~80°, and it can shoot 360° in all directions.
The amount of ammunition in the car is 40 rounds. Since it is equipped with an automatic loading machine, its rate of fire is as high as 8-10 rounds per minute. And it uses ordinary bullets with a range of up to 7.2-13 kilometers and can launch extended-range bullets. 2A80-1 can also launch the Russian Whaler-2M 120mm laser-guided projectile, with a maximum range of 10 kilometers and a hit rate of 80-90%, regarded as the Mao version of “Excalibur.”
However, the gun upgrade in terms of fire control is lackluster. Although the new fire control system can support laser-guided ammunition, the commander must rely on infrared headlights and imagers. Depending on the ability to aim and see, Mao Zi was stingy with this car.
Think about how much combat power such a patchwork of equipment, even driving in reverse, have? ! Although there is a certain coincidence to be captured by Ukrainian farmers if the combat power is shining, how can it not be like this?