2S4

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2S4 Tjulpan
240-mm self-propelled mortar 2B8 (SAC-2S4) .JPG

Template: Infobox AFV / maintenance / picture without description

General properties
crew 5 (commander, driver, gunner, two loaders)
length 7.94 m
width 3.25 m
height 3.20 m
Dimensions 28.2 t
Armor and armament
Armor Max. 15 mm armored steel
Main armament 240 mm grenade launcher M-240 (GRAY index 2B8)
Secondary armament 7.62 mm PK machine gun
agility
drive W-59 -V12 multi-fuel engine
520 hp (382 kW)
suspension Torsion bar
Top speed 62 km / h (road), 25 km / h (off-road)
Power / weight 18.4 hp / t
Range 500 km (by road)

The 2S4 Tjulpan ( Russian 2С4 Тюльпан ; dt .: tulip ) is a Soviet mortar on Selbstfahrlafette . The NATO code is M1975. It is currently the largest mortar in use worldwide.

development

From 1950 the towed 240-mm mortar M-240 ( Russian: 240-мм миномёт М-240 образца 1950 года ; GRAU index : 2B8 / 52M864) was introduced into the Soviet armed forces . The design of this mortar was based on the experiences of the Red Army during the Second World War . The main task of this rifled mortar was to fight fortified positions, bunkers and buildings during siege warfare. Good mobility and a high rate of fire were secondary. It took 25 to 30 minutes to be ready to fire and the rate of fire was around one shot every two minutes. In the course of the increasing mechanization of the Soviet Army , there was a need for a self-propelled version of this mortar. This should have armor protection and a crawler mechanism to accompany the armored mechanized formations. The development work on the object 305 began in 1966 in the Motowilichawerke (OKB-152) and at the Uralwagonzavod subsidiary Uraltransmasch . In 1969 the first three prototypes were ready for use and from 1971 the first series vehicles were delivered to the Soviet armed forces. The 2S4 was first observed by the West in 1975 and was therefore given the NATO code M1975 . 2S4 were initially only used by the Soviet Union. Production ended in the 1980s. In 2017 it was announced that by 2020 all Tjulpan mortars will undergo an overhaul and modernization.

technology

Movie showing a 2S4 battery during an exercise. The setup, the loading process and the firing of the weapon are shown.
2S4 with the weapon system in marching configuration.
Loading a 240 mm mortar shell.

The vehicle is based on the chain-driven GM-123 (GMZ) chassis and weighs 28.2  tons . The vehicle is powered by a W-59 - diesel engine with 520  PS driven performance. A maximum driving speed of over 62 km / h is achieved on the road and the maximum range is 420 to 500 km. The five-person crew is accommodated in two cabins under NBC protection in the front part of the vehicle . For self-defense, a 7.62 mm PKT type machine gun with a combat rate of 1500 rounds is mounted on the commander's cupola. The equipment also includes a night vision device for the driver and a mobile radio station of the type R-123M . In the middle of the vehicle there are two drum magazines for the mortar shells. Each magazine can hold 20 shells. At the rear of the vehicle is the 2B8 breech-loading mortar with the tube sheet that carries the breech. Underneath is the associated base plate to which the mortar barrel is attached in a cradle . For the journey, the mortar barrel is lowered onto the vehicle roof and the floor plate is folded up on the rear of the vehicle.

In order to prepare and operate the mortar, the crew must leave the vehicle. The base plate is lowered hydraulically to the ground. In the pipe cradle, the pipe swivels backwards and is lifted horizontally. The pipe is now at the height of the vehicle roof. A grenade is now ejected from one of the automatically rotating drum magazines and pushed into the mortar barrel using a conveyor ram on the vehicle roof. After the closure is closed, the tube is lowered again until it takes the desired elevation. Now the grenade can be fired and a new loading process can take place. The maximum rate of fire is one shot every 62 seconds. With a large tube elevation , the rate of fire is one shot every 72 seconds. The mortar has a vertical directional range of + 50 ° to + 80 ° and a lateral directional range of ± 10 °. Separate vehicles are available for the ammunition replenishment. The 2S4 has a loading crane on the vehicle roof for ammunition and reloading .

Ammunition for the M240

Surname Function / type length Weight Warhead / charge Shooting distance
53-WF-864 Fragmentation grenade 1.53 m 130.7 kg 31.9 kg of explosives 0.8-9.65 km
3WF2 Fragmentation grenade with 3M15 rocket propulsion 2.35 m 228 kg 46.5 kg of explosives 19.7 km
3O8 Grenade for cluster munitions with rocket propulsion unknown 230 kg 14 O-10 fragmentation bombs weighing 3.9 kg each 19.3 km
3WS5 " Сайда " Incendiary grenade with rocket propulsion unknown unknown 42 kg of white phosphorus 19 km
1K113 "Smeltschak" Precision-guided ammunition 1.63 m 134.2 kg 32.5 kg, fragmentation warhead 9.2 km
3WB4 Nuclear grenade unknown unknown Nuclear warhead with 2 kT TNT equivalent 9.5 km
3WB11 Rocket-propelled nuclear grenade unknown unknown Nuclear warhead RD14 (9N232) 18 km
" Смола " Nuclear grenade unknown unknown Nuclear warhead with increased neutron radiation unknown
" Фата " Rocket-propelled nuclear grenade unknown unknown Nuclear warhead with increased neutron radiation unknown

commitment

A 2S4 battery consists of four 2S4 self-propelled guns and other support and supply vehicles. The 2S4 Tjulpan was used within the Soviet Army because of its ability to use nuclear grenades exclusively for heavy artillery at brigade and division level .

War missions

Afghanistan

The self-propelled gun 2S4 was first used during the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan . The precision-guided ammunition "Smeltschak" was also used for the first time during these missions.

Chechnya

The Russian army used the mortar in the Chechen war , where the great explosive force in the built-up area caused high civilian casualties.

Syria

The Syrian armed forces are the mortar in February 2012 within residential areas to combat the uprising in Homs have used. Likewise, the 2S4 was probably used in the battle for other cities such as Damascus .

Ukraine

In the war in Ukraine that began in 2014 , the 2S4 was sighted by OSCE observers on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic in early July 2015 .

User states

Current user

  • RussiaRussia Russia - As of January 2018, there are 40 2S4 in service.

Former users

  • LebanonLebanon Lebanon - Decommissioned by January 2018.
  • LibyaLibya Libya - Decommissioned by January 2018.
  • IraqIraq Iraq - Decommissioned by January 2018.
  • KazakhstanKazakhstan Kazakhstan - Decommissioned by January 2018.
  • Soviet UnionSoviet Union Soviet Union - Distributed among the successor states.
  • SyriaSyria Syria - Decommissioned by January 2018.
  • CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia Czechoslovakia - Decommissioned.
  • UkraineUkraine Ukraine - Decommissioned by January 2018.

literature

Web links

Commons : 2S4  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c T. J. O'Malley: Modern Artillery Systems. 1996, pp. 156-159.
  2. ↑ a b c d e A. W. Karpenko: Arms from Russia. Modern self-propelled guns. 2009, pp. 22-26.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f Andrew W. Hull: Soviet / Russian Armor and Artillery Design Practices: 1945 to Present. 1999, pp. 137-139.
  4. ↑ Russia's military is building nuclear cannons again. de.sputniknews.com, November 12, 2017, accessed July 8, 2019 .
  5. ↑ a b 2S4 Tyulpan M-1975 self-propelled mortar carrier. armyrecognition.com, accessed April 29, 2016 .
  6. ↑ a b 2S4 Tyulpan 240-mm Self-Propelled Mortar. In: Military-Today.com. youtube.com, December 3, 2013, accessed April 29, 2016 .
  7. ↑ a b Самоходный 240-мм миномет 2С4 "Тюльпан". (No longer available online.) Snariad.ru, archived from the original on May 12, 2016 ; Retrieved April 29, 2016 (Russian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.snariad.ru
  8. ↑ a b c Sébastien Roblin: The largest-caliber mortar system in the world is shelling cities in Syria and Ukraine (1/2). officiere.ch, April 20, 2016, accessed on April 29, 2016 (English).
  9. ↑ a b c d Sébastien Roblin: The largest-caliber mortar system in the world is shelling cities in Syria and Ukraine (2/2). officiere.ch, April 25, 2016, accessed on April 29, 2016 (English).
  10. ↑ Боеприпасы к 240-мм минометам М-240 и 2С4 (арт. Часть 2Б8). soviet-ammo.ucoz.ru, accessed May 12, 2016 (in Russian).
  11. ↑ Sonja Zekri: Assad reaches for the murderous "tulip". In: tagesanzeiger.ch. February 25, 2012, accessed July 7, 2015 .
  12. ^ 'Friends of Syria': Push to End Indiscriminate Shelling. February 24, 2012
  13. ↑ Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 19:30 (Kyiv time), 5 July 2015. In: osce.org. OSCE, July 6, 2015, accessed on July 7, 2015 (English): “Also in“ DPR ”-controlled areas, two MBTs were observed… as well as one 240mm mortar (Tyulpan) near Komsomolske (44km south-east of Donetsk ). "
  14. ↑ a b c d e f g The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): The Military Balance 2018 . 1st edition. Routledge, London 2018, ISBN 978-1-85743-955-7 (English, January 2018).
  15. ^ Trade Register on sipri.org , Retrieved April 29, 2016