Even in the last years of the existence of the USSR, in the conditions of the beginning decline of the army, the airborne forces represented a significant force, which was used in all local conflicts in the territory of the former Union. And not without reason, because the then adopted doctrine prescribed the use of the troops of "Uncle Vasya" as a means of a preventive strike. Especially vividly proved themselves blue berets during the Prague events in 1968 and in Afghanistan.
Be that as it may, you can’t get a lot of warfare with BMDs alone: the paratroopers urgently needed weapons that could withstand jumping from an airplane, but at the same time having combat power comparable to artillery systems. This could be ensured only by artillery, acting together with the paratroopers.
At that time, the armament was equipped with ASU-57 and ASU-85 installations, which were designed to suppress the heavy armored vehicles of a possible enemy. Their characteristics were quite acceptable for that time, but landing as such for their deployment was not used: ACS needed to be carefully unloaded from an airplane landing on the airfield. Naturally, there was no question of any suddenness in this case.
The beginning of the development of a new machine
Of course, the current state of affairs could not suit the High Command. An order was given: to begin designing a machine that could fully meet all the requirements presented above. This is how the Nona artillery mount appeared. Of course, this did not happen right away.
Its development began in the 60s, and the BMD-1 was used as a platform. The new self-propelled gun received the preliminary name 2C2 "Violet". It immediately became clear that the powerful 122-mm gun, which was "borrowed" from the self-propelled guns "Gvozdika", simply destroys the BMD chassis too flimsy for him. At the same time, a 120-mm self-propelled mortar "Lily of the Valley" was developed on a long-suffering chassis, but for about the same reasons it was never adopted.
A series of "Objects"
By the mid-70s, projects of fundamentally new light tanks had been created in Volgograd, designed specifically for the needs of the Airborne Forces (“Object 934” and “Object 685”). Their main weapon was a powerful 100 mm gun. Alas, due to some design flaws and disagreements with the developers, they also did not go into the series. The problem of equipping winged troops with mobile artillery was becoming more acute.
Birth of Nona
However, in those years the armored personnel carrier BTR-D entered the airborne forces . Unlike the BMD (on the basis of which it was created), the new equipment was much more load-lifting, as the old chassis was extended by one track roller.
Finally, specialists from the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering, as well as designers of the legendary Perm Motovilikha, taking into account all the negative experience of their colleagues, created a fundamentally new 120-mm 2A51 gun. Its uniqueness was that based on this weapon it was possible to create a universal artillery system that would include the whole range of positive qualities of a mortar, gun and howitzer.
The new self-propelled gun, created on the basis of this gun, was called the SAU 2S9 "NONA S". It is widely believed that she got her name from some passion of the chief designer, but it’s much more prosaic: the name stands for “The New Ground Artillery Gun”.
Fundamental differences from other samples
Of course, the expression "Unparalleled in the World" filled my teeth with a sore edge. But if we discuss self-propelled guns 2S9 "NONA S", then this stamp is more than fair.
The uniqueness (we repeat, this word is appropriate in this case) of the system in question is that, having very modest dimensions, it provides excellent firepower on the battlefield, and even can be used as a replacement for several types of weapons at once! To begin with, the Nona artillery mount allows not only confidently suppressing enemy infantry, but even fighting enemy tanks. In many respects, the SPG owes such an impressive performance to the widest range of shells.
About Tools Used
What shells can fire the installation of "Nona", the characteristics of which will be given below?
High-explosive fragmentation artillery is particularly notable. The maximum firing range is almost 9 kilometers, and because of the low (not more than 360 m / s) initial speed and specific ballistics, you can shoot them with a "hitch". They showed themselves especially well in Afghanistan, when the enemy managed to knock them out from particularly important passes without even making direct fire contact with them. In terms of effectiveness, these shells are not much inferior to the 152-mm howitzer counterparts, which are widespread both in the army of our countries and among NATO member states.
Thus, the Nona installation, the photo of which is in the article, is a truly unique example of weapons.
Mines
It is especially important (in the context of specific operations of the airborne forces) that the minimum possible range for using such a projectile is 1.7 km, and mines - about 400 meters. Since the characteristics of the guns allow the use of standard 120-mm shells, paratroopers have access to their entire widest assortment. With a conventional high-explosive mine, the Nona artillery mount can fire 7.3 km. The huge advantage of the gun is that it allows you to use any 120-mm mines of foreign states without any alterations.
Rockets
Among other things, ammunition can include active rockets. A jet engine is laid in their design, which allows firing for 13 kilometers. In this role, the Nona installation, the photo of which is available in the article, can be effectively used to arm formations whose main task is to destroy enemy heavy armored vehicles.
Particularly noteworthy are guided missiles, which can independently aim at a target by using a laser pointer. They hit tanks and other heavy equipment from above, in the most unprotected part. The probability of destroying the target is not less than 0.8-0.9. This type of ammunition was called "Kitolov-2." It can also be successfully used by self-propelled guns "Nona", a photo of which you will see in this article.
However, conventional cumulative shells can be used to combat armored vehicles. At an initial speed of 560 m / s, an acceptable accuracy of firing with enemy technology is ensured at ranges of up to one kilometer, and the ability to burn up to 600 mm of homogeneous armor suggests that it is quite possible to defeat all modern MBT of a potential enemy with their help.
Features of the loading mechanism
Since the use of mines at significant elevation angles is a very time-consuming task for the crew, the loading mechanism was equipped with a special sending system that runs on compressed air. Among other things, the capabilities of the module, which uses 2S9 "Nona", are in demand after each shot to purge the barrel, which significantly reduces the gas contamination of the fighting compartment, increasing the comfort of the crew.
Some specifications
Since the self-propelled gun was created taking into account the possibility of its landing, the designers had to lighten the structure as much as possible. As a material for armor, a special aluminum alloy was used, which nevertheless protects the crew well from machine-gun fire. Lightness and tightness of the hull provide positive buoyancy, due to which "Nona" can independently force water barriers.
The diesel engine's power is 240 l / s, and a high-quality and reliable hydropneumatic suspension allows the Nona self-propelled guns to accelerate along the highway to 60 km / h, and by water - up to 9 km / h. Among other things, the controllability of the suspension allows in the event of such a need to lower the height of the combat vehicle by 35 cm.
Other varieties
After Afghanistan, it turned out that the Nona artillery mount was a very effective weapon. The development was so liked by representatives of different types of troops that they showed a desire to get something similar for the armament of all ground infantry formations of the armed forces. Therefore, the towed gun 2B16 SAU NONA-K was developed and adopted for service.
Thanks to the unique muzzle brake, which levels up to 1/3 of the recoil energy, the gun turned out to be extremely light. Its mass does not exceed 1200 kilograms. Almost all parts of the gun can be folded, which greatly facilitates transportation or deployment in difficult conditions. The GAZ-66 car is intended for movement, but it has been experimentally proved that even a UAZ-469 can cope with its transportation on a more or less decent road. Since there are rollers at the ends of the bed, if necessary, the cannon can move around the battlefield by forces of its calculation.
Another chassis option
In Perm, under the leadership of the most talented Yuri Kalachnikov, in 1990 2C23 NONA SVK was created.
For the chassis in this embodiment, the BTR-80 is used. To fit a new gun there, it was necessary to completely redesign the tower structure, actually creating it again. The great advantage was the impressive internal volume of the BTR hull, thanks to which it was possible to increase the 2S9 “Nona” transportable ammunition immediately to 30 rounds. In combat conditions, shells can literally hammer the entire landing squad, which further increases the value of this installation. In addition, specially for firing from closed positions, the NONA SVK design included a mechanism for supplying shells from the ground.
Additional weapons
To provide additional firepower, in the tower, the designers additionally installed a 7.62-mm PKT machine gun, which can be remotely controlled by the gun commander. For additional armament of the crew, four Igla MANPADS, four AK-74 (or equivalents), and a dozen and a half dozen grenades (RGD or F-1, depending on the situation) are included in the ammunition load. Among other things, grenade launchers for smoke grenades are fixed on the tower.
Thus, "Nona" is a weapon that provides the solution to a wide range of combat missions that can only be posed to any infantry or landing force.
Positive features of the new chassis
Through the use of the BTR-80 chassis, it was possible to significantly improve the speed and maneuverability of the new machine. Firstly, the maximum speed was increased to 60 km / h, and the range is now 600 km. In addition, the BTR-80 wheeled chassis is extremely reliable when transporting troops over long distances: the car can go under its own power for all 600 kilometers, without any breakdowns or forced stops.
Among other things, the standard chassis dramatically reduces the cost of repairs and training of personnel, significantly reduces the cost of operation. To date, it has already been proven that vehicles based on the BTR-80 are 1.5-2 times cheaper to operate than Nona based on the BRDM-1.
Mortar modification
To date, a light semi-automatic mortar "NONA-M" has been created, the charging of which is carried out from the breech. Its weight is such that the calculation can take it apart in a few minutes and transfer it either on its own or transport it to pack animals and light motor vehicles. This makes the Nonu-M an indispensable weapon for wooded and mountainous areas.
conclusions
Today, Nona has no analogues in the world in terms of power and flexibility of use in a wide variety of combat conditions. Since the machine uses almost the entire range of common shells used by the ground forces of the RF Armed Forces, its effectiveness is equally great in any theater of war. The capabilities of the Nona batteries are such that they leave far behind the standard mortar calculations of motorized rifle units. Thus, "Nona" - a weapon that really has no analogues in the domestic troops.
In addition, all the developments that were used to create and modify the Nona are actively used by our designers when introducing fundamentally new artillery systems.
Other self-propelled installations of Russia
You probably might have a false idea that the Nona self-propelled gun is the only weapon in this class that is in service with our country. This is not true.
"Vein"
An analogue of the installation considered is "Vienna", in many ways similar to the described system. Unlike Nona, it was created on the basis of the BMP-3. As in the past case, it is armed with a 120 mm gun. Alas, with all its advantages (increased security of personnel, for example), “Vienna” is still present in the troops in almost single copies to this day.
What other self-propelled artillery mounts of Russia are there? In principle, there are not so few of them. Let's list the main ones:
All of the above samples, with the exception of the Octopus, are heavy howitzers, the main weapon of which has a caliber of 152 mm. Their tasks are somewhat different from those performed by the Nona self-propelled gun. So, their main purpose is shooting from closed positions or the destruction of fortified enemy positions. For example, in Grozny in 1995, it was the Msta-S installations that were effectively used to suppress the deeply layered defense of the enemy.
All self-propelled artillery mounts of Russia differ from their Western counterparts in unification both with each other and with the T-72 MBT (and T-90, respectively). This circumstance provides both simple repair and low cost of operation.