During full-scale hostilities and front-line operations, various missile and artillery weapons are used to deliver powerful fire strikes against the enemy. Especially important is the possibility of causing maximum damage in case of attack on well-trained defense lines. Shooting from guns designed to destroy towering above the ground plane, with a flat trajectory of the projectile, as a rule, is ineffective. Hidden underground fortifications are well protected, in order to destroy them, an accurate strike from above is required. Sometimes it turns out to be useless, despite the large area of destruction and the thermal factor, even the multiple launch rocket system.
"Tulip"
A photo of this self-propelled mortar flashed on the websites and pages of print media in connection with the tragic events in the east of Ukraine. Defense Minister Valery Geletey, visiting Poland, said there that this "newest" weapon was at the disposal of militias from the eastern border for testing in real-life battles. It should be noted right away that this self-propelled mortar is by no means the last word of Russian military-technological achievements; it has been discontinued already a quarter century ago. Where did the Tulip system come from? Military assistance of the “northern neighbor” has nothing to do with it. According to the headquarters of the DNI, both (and only two of them) installations were captured during hostilities by the enemy, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, one under Bolshaya Krynka and the other in the Ilovaysky boiler. But the confusion intensified when the mysterious chemical and even nuclear munitions with which this self-propelled mortar allegedly could shoot were mentioned. Further developments did not confirm the worst fears of the Ukrainian headquarters of the ATO. However, the question remains, were there any grounds for assuming the possibility of the use of weapons of mass destruction by militias , and what does the Tulip system have to do with it? Is she really so scary? What are its parameters? For what purposes was it created and when? What destruction can it actually produce, in other words, what are its tactical and technical data? In connection with the frequent mention in the press of this type of weapon, it is worth removing the veil of mystery, which is hidden behind the Tulip artillery system.
Party line swings
The history of the post-war development of Soviet artillery self-propelled systems is full of drama, and therefore very interesting. After an impressive breakthrough of Soviet rocket technology, the creation of intercontinental ballistic carriers and the launch of the first Earth satellite by the country's leadership in the person of the First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee N.S. Khrushchev was of the opinion that the guns firing shells - the personification of yesterday, the "Stone Age". The party leader’s entourage tried to object, but, given his steep disposition, he did so rather timidly, which led to the almost complete destruction of the USSR artillery shield without the participation of enemy armies. “Under the knife” were all large-caliber guns, and even the battleships on which they were installed. But there were developments ... For example, even during the war, the B. Shavyrin Design Bureau designed the M-240, a 240 mm caliber mortar, which in 1951 went into production. He could fire at a distance of up to 8 kilometers, and with a special charge up to 9.7 km. Mina (a shell with plumage) weighed 130 kg, it was fed into the barrel from the breech, like cannons. Its alleged uselessness led to the closure of production in 1958.
After the removal of the post of “Secretary-General the Miracle Worker”, the new leadership returned to the idea of creating large-caliber military artillery weapons. The inherited inheritance in the form of samples of the war years was depressing. In modern warfare, the Su-100 and Su-152 could only demonstrate the complete uselessness and inevitability of obsolescence.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Army in Vietnam used the M-109, a field howitzer, causing severe damage to the Viet Cong troops. A shot cost the US Treasury cheaper than an air raid or a volley, and the result was not inferior.
The artillery design bureau urgently was given a task at the level of a resolution of the Central Committee and the Council of Ministers to develop new self-propelled artillery systems. At the end of the sixties, the Kharkov Tractor-Tank Plant was to launch the 122 mm Gvozdika caliber of 122 mm in the shortest possible time, engaged in the 122-mm Violet in Volgograd, and took care of two samples at once in the Urals. They became "Acacia" (self-propelled 152 mm howitzer) and mortar system "Tulip". Such are the flowers.
Chassis difficulties
Starting to develop a model unique at that time, the KB team, headed by Yuri Tomashov, could not imagine how many problems he would encounter. However, at the Perm Engineering Plant named after V.I. Lenin (now Motovilikhinskiye Zavody) was not afraid of difficulties, and all the difficult tasks were successively resolved, and there were many of them. Dozens of copyright certificates obtained during the work on the 2C4 Tulip project are eloquent about the inventiveness and ingenuity of Soviet engineers.
There were two main problem points: the heavy weight of the system and the unprecedented return for the mortar. The tracked vehicle, which was supposed to be used initially, turned out to be of insufficient carrying capacity, it could carry 21.4 tons (which is also very much). The Tulip system, however, weighed more than twenty-seven. National cooperation of the defense complex helped solve this problem. CB "Transmash" already had a vehicle for the launcher of the RK "Circle", which they decided to use, making the necessary design changes. Replacing a 400-horsepower engine with a more powerful one (520 hp) solved the problem of increasing speed and motor resources from 3,000 to 5,000 km), because the Tulip fire systems had to move faster and faster than rocket launchers in a real war . It cannot be argued that the undercarriage went to Y. Tomashov Design Bureau ready, it had to be substantially adapted, replacing up to 80% of the elements of the caterpillar base, but the benefits of cooperation with allies are undeniable.
Here is the return!
During the test of the first experimental sample, the Rzhevka training ground was announced with two loud shots. There was no third. The reason is the heavy-duty dynamic wave that the Tulip system created. Military ultra-reliable and super-strong equipment could not withstand recoil and pneumatic shock. The base plate, located on the body, cracked, and the fuel tanks crumpled like paper. The impact was too strong, it was estimated at 450 tons. Only the earth could take it upon itself, so I had to abandon the thought of emphasizing the bed. A special lifting and lowering unit with a hydraulic drive was designed, which puts the barrel in a combat position.
Such great efforts paid off. During the tests at the training ground near Kaliningrad, the most powerful 152-mm howitzer guns could not cause concrete bunkers significant harm, while the Tulip system destroyed them from the first hit. The weapon, having proved its effectiveness and reliability, went into series. In 1969, three copies were built, and two years later the model was officially adopted.
Trunk
Continuity is good quality for any weapon. The proven technology and proven technical data give the sample reliability, eliminating unnecessary surprises during operation. The ballistics and characteristics of the barrel of the Tulip fire system are fully consistent with the characteristics of the M-240 product, developed as far back as the penultimate year of the war under the leadership of Yu. N. Kalachnikov and S. N. Dernov, which was put into service in 1958. Perm Engineering SKB created a towed “gain mortar” that could not move independently (a tractor was required), but had a high level of firepower. He charged from the breech, for which he served as a bolt, reclining up. When the Tulip system began to be designed in 1967, the weapon received its own running gear and many other components, which made it more perfect, but its cost also increased (up to 200,000 Soviet rubles).
The prototype was simple in Russian, but very reliable and accurate, which also corresponds to national traditions. There were no anti-recoil devices in the design, the machine was equipped with a screw guidance mechanism, arrows to put it into a combat position, a hinged paw, compensators, a base plate (in the end, I had to return to it), as well as an aim. Even then, fire could be conducted for eight kilometers, and in 1953 this distance was brought up to 9.7 km due to a special long-range feathered projectile.
The barrel from this heavy mortar was inherited by the Tulip system, the armament of which the Soviet Army began in 1971.
Special ammunition "Daredevil"
By its destructive power, this weapon has no analogues among mortars. A special mechanism is required for loading. The funnel created by the shell of the 2C4 Tulip gun weighing 130 kg during the explosion has a diameter of 10 meters. The usual charge consists of two pounds of TNT. This is a very large power, but in addition to it, for a successful hit of the target, accuracy is also required. To increase it requires a special guidance system, providing for the possibility of correction in flight. The particularly accurate Smelchak (1K113) was adopted in 1982 with a lower charge mass (69 kg), but equipped with eight side jet solid propellant shunting engines. This special ammunition, which is a hybrid of an artillery shell and a missile, has its own control unit, target designator and range finder. Guidance correction is performed by laser beam illumination. The operating time of the equipment does not exceed three seconds, which leaves no chance to save the enemy, possessing even the most technologically advanced equipment, capable of electronic counteraction and electromagnetic interference.
Other types of mines
"Daredevil" for its original purpose was a shell designed to defeat armored vehicles. This did not prevent its use in carrying out other tasks, for example, assault, which acquired particular relevance during the war in Afghanistan. The appearance of the gun was not known to the general public what to do, the Tulip system is military. The photo, in which soldiers and officers of the limited contingent of the Soviet Army wanted to capture themselves against the backdrop of a huge mortar, provoked objections from field censorship for reasons of secrecy. There was nothing surprising in this. The use of this type of weapon was not advertised. The arsenal of ammunition with which you can charge the 2C4 Tulip mortar is diverse. The blasting charges are represented by cluster Nerpas, during the explosion of which high explosive fragmentation elements ZOF16 were scattered, as well as incendiary Sayds capable of burning all living things with napalm on an area of almost 8 thousand square meters. m
But besides the usual charges, special ones can be used. For example, a tactical nuclear mine with a capacity of two kilotons (3VB4) or neutron ("Fata" or "Resin"). Nothing is known about chemical munitions, but the radius of combat use with an active-reactive delivery vehicle of up to ten thousand kilometers suggests that this is possible.
Which is better: "Tulip" or MLRS?
To inflict massive attacks on the enemy during international conflicts of recent years, in many countries the MLRS Grad BM-21 was most often used. This installation has a large number of advantages, including relatively low cost, simplicity, reliability, and high destructive power. There is only one drawback, but a serious one. Grad cannot deliver a point strike. Its shells are uncontrollable, their design does not contain any devices for correction, but in general the system was not created for this purpose. If you need to hit the headquarters, communications center or other small object, then the Tulip mortar will best cope with this task. The multiple launch rocket system works over areas, its shells are “blind”. To compare the two approaches to the same function of fire suppression, you can imagine a sword and a dagger. Any of these types of knives may be needed, but each of them has its own time.
Moreover, the rate of "Tulip" for a gun with such a large mass of ammunition is not so small, one shot per minute, which is five times faster than the prototype M-240. This is achieved due to the unique rotary charging mechanism invented by Yu. Tomashov.
In cases where massive missile and artillery preparation is required, it is difficult to use such sophisticated weapons as the Tulip. The "Hurricane" (or "Grad") volley fire system will be more effective both in range (up to 40 km) and in the number of shells fired per unit time.
Afghanistan
After the entry of troops into the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, the military leadership did not immediately appreciate the potential of these weapons. Among the objective reasons can be called the lack of practice and shooting skills in mountainous conditions, when the levels of the firing point and the target differ significantly. I had to learn during the fighting. In addition, there was an opinion that there would be no large-scale war as such, and that the troops would soon return to the USSR after brief and effective assistance. There were also problems with transporting such a heavy machine as the Tulip system in bad rocky roads. The mortar, however, turned out to be in demand over time. Of the 588 guns manufactured before 1988, 120 units of this equipment took part in the Afghan war. Mostly conventional high-explosive-fragmentation shells were used, but in some cases, with the required high accuracy of destruction, the artillery used the Daredevils with laser correction, the probability of which would directly hit a three-meter target reaches 90%. The “Tulip” system acquired special significance during the storming of fortified areas equipped in fortresses or the destruction of mountain camps in caves. Local specificity mattered. The main material used by anti-government forces to erect fortifications in Afghanistan was clayey rocks, soft enough to fit 122-mm howitzer shells into them, which did not burst and, therefore, did little harm to the defenders. Art. the Tulip system produced very severe damage with its 240 mm 130 kg mines. And given that high power is combined with high firing accuracy, the feasibility of using these weapons seems quite reasonable. In Afghanistan was the first case of its combat use. But, unfortunately, not the last.
Chechnya and other military campaigns
Among the many regional conflicts that broke out in the territory of the former USSR shortly after its collapse, the Chechen war was the most dangerous for Russian statehood and its prospects. It began extremely unsuccessfully, and was conducted using practically all types of weapons, without observing any proportionality. A propaganda battle was also waged. After the destruction of his residence, Dzhokhar Dudayev accused the federal forces of using nuclear weapons. In fact, of course, the Russian Army did not drop any atomic bombs. The Tulip system shot at the palace. The photo of the ruins, however, could serve, at some stretch, as a propaganda illustration of such a variant of events. Mina broke through the roof, floors of all floors and exploded in the basement, making a terrible roar.
During the second Chechen campaign, this high-precision weapon was used more widely. 2C4 “Tulip” in the first two months fired at the enemy more than one and a half thousand mines, including 60 laser-correctable and 40 cluster.
The Tulip artillery and mortar system is unique; it has no analogues in world military practice. The Americans tried to create something similar at the end of World War II, but the project immediately “stalled” after the engineers encountered a number of difficulties, and after the surrender of Germany, the Pentagon lost interest in the further development of the class of self-propelled heavy mortars.
The "Tulip" has, of course, and disadvantages. The machine is heavy, its reservation is very conditional, since the mass of the gun is very high. The crew of five, in the event of a collision with a well-trained and armed anti-tank means of the enemy sabotage group, will be in a difficult position. Experts also note a relatively short firing range (less than 10 km for conventional shells and up to twenty for active rockets), which worsens the conditions for the use of special charges (which has not happened in real life yet).
Well, without the disadvantages of technology does not happen. And besides, since 1988 the Tulip has not been produced.