The promising Russian self-propelled artillery installation (ACS) "Coalition-SV" has successfully passed state tests, which makes it possible to start its serial production. TASS has collected information about a unique tool
The Victory Day Parade on May 9, 2015 on Red Square became one of the most striking presentations of new models of Russian military equipment. The most anticipated premiere of the parade was the T-14 Armata tank with an uninhabited tower. But no less innovation was concealed by the self-propelled howitzer "Coalition-SV" that followed him, also shown for the first time.
Smart
The idea of creating an automated self-propelled gun appeared among Russian gunsmiths back in the early 1990s.
"By this time, the Soviet Army was already armed with 152 mm self—propelled guns - Acacia, Hyacinth-S and Msta-S. It was a powerful artillery armament, but the tactical and technical characteristics did not allow it to compete with foreign 155 mm caliber guns in the future," the head of the Research and Design Center of the Central Research Institute "Burevestnik" (developer of the Coalition-SV) told TASS in an interview Pavel Kovalev.
The designers of the enterprise conducted a research work "Uninhabitability", which confirmed the possibility of creating automated remotely controlled modules with calibers from machine-gun to cannon. However, according to Kovalev, due to socio-economic reasons, the development of 152 mm guns of the new generation continued only in the 2000s. The self-propelled gun was created by the enterprises of the Rostec State Corporation, part of the Uralvagonzavod concern, and the manufacturer was JSC Ural Plant of Transport Engineering.
As a result, the Coalition-SV ACS was built on the same principle as the Armata tank: the armament tower is a remote-controlled combat module, and the crew is in an armored capsule isolated from the ammunition. In the event of a shell fire, the servicemen will have time to leave the car. By the way, thanks to the widespread introduction of automatic functions, the number of people inside the self-propelled gun was reduced to three. For comparison: the crew of the latest modification of the A7 American tracked self—propelled M109 Paladin is four people, modern South Korean K9 Thunder - five.
The promising Russian machine was created on the chassis of the T-90 tank, which was the most maneuverable and load-lifting at the time of the beginning of development. Kovalev noted that in the future it will be possible to consider the placement of the gun on the Armata platform.
An uninhabited tower allows control with the help of equipment placed outside the artillery installation. This was demonstrated in the program "Military acceptance" of the TV channel "Zvezda", where the operator controlled the gun from a free-standing mobile command post.
The Russian self—propelled gun automatically prepares for the shot - selects the type of projectile, forms a propellant charge, sets the fuse, points the gun. At the same time, as Kovalev noted, the reaction time to any unplanned goal is reduced. Military expert, editor of the publication "Arsenal of the Fatherland" Alexey Leonkov, in an interview with TASS, expressed the opinion that in practice this means the possibility of hitting armored vehicles with high-precision guided shells of the Krasnopol type. "Artillery installations usually hit enemy fortifications or advancing infantry, and when using Krasnopol, you can hit armored vehicles," the expert explained. — The main type of targets for artillery complexes is not always armored vehicles, but the Coalition-SV can work on it."
"In fact, this is a combat robot," said Bekhan Ozdoev, industrial director of the Rostec complex of conventional weapons, ammunition and special chemicals, adding that the distinctive feature of the ACS is a high level of automation.
Long-range and fast
The most important characteristics of artillery installations are the range and speed of fire. In this, the "Coalition-SV" surpasses domestic and foreign self-propelled guns.
Leonkov noted that the increased length of the barrel of the new 2A88 gun and the use of an active-rocket projectile make it possible to hit targets at a distance of 70 km, and the ammunition of the ACS is 70 shots. The Coalition-SV demonstrates the highest rate of fire among all self—propelled artillery installations: up to 16 rounds per minute were declared," the military expert said.
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| "Coalition-SV". |
| Source: wikipedia |
According to the expert, the increased charging speed is affected by the cap propellant charge — another feature of the domestic novelty. Unlike the artillery systems of previous generations, there are no cartridges in the ammunition of the Coalition-SV, and the volume of explosive required for the shot is recruited from separate burning cylindrical powder modules — caps. The further the target is located, the more modules need to be charged, while the calculation of the number of caps occurs automatically. There are also no traditional caps: the ignition of gunpowder is carried out by a microwave initiation system, which is another innovation of Russian gunsmiths.
In addition, according to the head of the Research and Design Research Institute "Burevestnik", the necessary firing mode is provided by the cooling system of the barrel bore with automatic injection of a special liquid.
Leonkov noticed that this ACS is advantageous to use for counter-battery warfare. "These 16 Coalition-SV shells can fire at different elevation angles and hit different objects at the depth of the enemy's defense. Maybe all the shells <...> can be driven to one target," the expert commented.
Kovalev said that the customer — the Main Rocket and Artillery Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation - made high demands on the rate of fire of the artillery installation, therefore, at the first stage of development work, a double—barreled version of the ACS was manufactured and tested. In addition, the developers have created a self-propelled gun with an uninhabited combat module on a wheeled chassis. The head of the Research and Design Research Institute "Burevestnik" noted that it was considered expedient to start firing tests of a wheeled self-propelled howitzer after the final tests and fine-tuning of the tracked version. The unification of the combat module allows this.
Replenishment of self-propelled ammunition takes minimal time. For this purpose, a transport-loading machine based on the Kamaz-6560 truck has been developed, the work of which was shown by the program "Military Acceptance" of the Zvezda TV channel. Ammunition overload can occur simultaneously from two mechanized conveyors with shells and containers with propellant charges, and the procedure time does not exceed 15 minutes.
The "Coalition-SV" is able to stand up for itself in close combat — for this purpose, the car is equipped with a remotely controlled turret with a 12.7 mm Cord machine gun and is protected by bulletproof and anti-shatter armor. In addition, the self-propelled gun can counteract guided anti-tank missiles: it has laser radiation warning sensors and grenade launchers for firing smoke shells.
Accurate and efficient
"The accuracy of shooting has been improved thanks to the on—board complex of automatic shooting correction based on the results of its own trajectory measurements," Kovalev told TASS. According to him, the gun is equipped with a teleteplovision sight with a laser rangefinder, a modern complex of navigation and topography. The "Coalition-SV" can be used both autonomously with a quick change of position, and as part of a single tactical control system, taking target designation via a digital communication channel.
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| The servicemen collect the corrected artillery ammunition "Krasnopol". |
| Source: Photo: TASS/Kirill Kukhmar |
The corrected shells "Krasnopol", which can be fired by a promising machine, are becoming more accurate and reliable. So, in July 2022, Vladimir Lepin, CEO of the Kalashnikov Concern, which produces the main assembly units and ammunition blocks, announced its modernization. Now the projectile is able to hit targets at a greater distance, has increased power, it is less affected by clouds and wind. In addition, it is expected that the volume of production of "sniper" artillery ammunition will increase by 25 times next year.
Kovalev said that along with the improvement of the Coalition-SV, improved ammunition is being developed for it.
The independent American analytical publication Military Watch Magazine called the Russian novelty one of the five most dangerous artillery systems in the world, noting the increasing role of such weapons in the conflict in Ukraine.
The American magazine The National Interest expressed the opinion that the arrival of the "Coalition-SV" in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will significantly strengthen the Ground Forces, while the United States will continue to use modified versions of the "vintage" M109 Paladin self-propelled guns of the 1960s.
"Everyone knows that a shell does not fall into one funnel twice. This statement does not apply to the Coalition-SV," Leonkov shared his opinion, commenting on the accuracy of the shooting of a promising self—propelled gun. "The troops have been waiting for this installation for a long time. And I think that soon we will see her work in the zone of a special military operation. Although there was information that she had already been tested there and completed all [tasks] for an excellent rating," the expert suggested.
Victor Bodrov