Many people who are interested in the issues of armament of the army formed for themselves a largely erroneous opinion that the barrel artillery in the existing conditions has become practically unclaimed. And in fact: it would seem, why is it needed when rocket weapons reign on the battlefield? Take your time, it's not so simple.
The fact is that barrel artillery is much cheaper in production and operation. In addition, subject to the use of shells with optical laser guidance ("Kitolov-2"), it is capable of (at the usual distance, of course) show no less impressive results than missiles on the battlefield. Do not forget about the possibility of using atomic small charges. In a serious war, this can be extremely useful.
Therefore, today we will discuss the Hyacinth self-propelled guns - one of the most impressive systems of this class.
Background
During the Second World War, self-propelled artillery guns proved to be powerful and dangerous weapons, the presence of which could often decide the outcome of the battle in favor of one or another side of the conflict. Their price was significantly lower than that of tanks, but under certain conditions, cheap and not too well-armored vehicles could effectively destroy heavy enemy armored vehicles. For our country, this was especially important at the initial stage of the war, when military equipment was sorely lacking, and its production was required to simplify and reduce the cost as much as possible.
Almost all motorized rifle divisions of the USSR in the postwar period were equipped with tanks and self-propelled guns on a mixed basis. Each motorized rifle regiment had high-quality artillery armament, which was a full SU-76 battery. The share of other artillery weapons that was created during the war years increased significantly.
All self-propelled guns adopted at that time were intended solely to support the attacking infantry in battle. However, in the postwar period, military doctrine increasingly prescribed the use of self-propelled guns together or instead of tanks.
In the 50-60s, the role of self-propelled guns was constantly falling. Often the question arose of the complete cessation of their production and the replacement of this type of armament with tanks. So, by the mid-60s, very few new models of self-propelled guns were developed. Almost all of them were based on old tank chassis of the Second World War, equipped with new armored corps.
Industry decline
At the end of the 50s of the last century, Nikita Khrushchev, a passionate fan of missile weapons, authorized an almost complete halt to the development of barrel weapons in the USSR. Because of this, we lagged behind our probable opponents by more than a dozen years. History has repeatedly punished the USSR for this miscalculation: already in the 60s it became clear that the value of the barrel artillery remained at the same level. This was especially vividly confirmed by the episode in China, after which the secretary general reconsidered his views on this problem.
Then the Kuomintang stationed a whole battery of long-range American howitzers and began quietly shelling the territory of mainland China. The Chinese and our military advisers were in an extremely uncomfortable position. They had M-46 cannons with a caliber of 130 mm, but their shells did not reach the enemy’s batteries, even with fair wind. One of the Soviet advisers proposed an original way out: in order to achieve the goal, it was just necessary to warm up the shells properly!
Both sides of the conflict were very surprised, but the reception was successful. It was this case that served as the impetus for the development of the Hyacinth self-propelled gun in 1968. Its creation was entrusted to Perm specialists.
Directions of work
Since the work needed to be completed as quickly as possible, the development went in two directions at once. Experts worked both in the field of creating self-propelled and towed guns (indices “C” and “B”, respectively). The General Directorate of Artillery immediately assigned these machines the designations 2A36 and 2A37. Their important feature was not only unique ballistics, but also special ammunition, which was made specifically for the self-propelled guns "Hyacinth". 152 mm is a fairly common caliber, but few people know that the Soviet Army did not have other ammunition of the same caliber that could be used by these self-propelled guns.
General information
The artillery unit was created directly in Perm, the chassis was designed in Yekaterinburg, and the best specialists at the Institute of NIMI thought about creating the most suitable ammunition for such a system. Already in 1969, two versions of the new self-propelled guns were proposed for consideration by the commission: in the logging and tower versions. The second option was approved. In 1970, the government initiated full-scale work on the Hyacinth self-propelled guns. Already at the beginning of 1971, the first 152 mm guns were presented to the “public court”, but due to the unavailability of the firing shells, they were moved.
The crew of “Hyacinth C” consists of five people. On the highway, the car can move at a speed of up to 60 km / h, the range is about 500 kilometers. The case is made of armor plates (aluminum alloys) with a thickness of 30 mm by welding. Such armor does not provide any adequate protection for the crew even from heavy machine guns, and therefore, when performing combat missions, it is necessary to think through the location of the vehicle on the ground especially well.
In addition, the disadvantage of the Hyacinth S installation is its rather low rate of fire - no more than five rounds per minute. It should be noted that the supply of shells is carried out manually, and therefore, in case of intense combat, the calculation may simply get tired, which will further reduce the effectiveness of such loading. And yet - given the characteristics of domestic winters, one should not be surprised at the cool attitude of the military towards an open gun not covered by a tower. Even in the conditions of the Chechen "cold" period, there were cases of frostbite on the calculations of "Hyacinths."
The excuse of developers can only be the fact that initially this self-propelled gun was planned at the time of the Cold War. Simply put, it was designed specifically for warfare in Western Europe, where temperatures below 7-8 degrees Celsius are rarely observed in winter. It is worth recalling at least that the BMP-1, designed for the same conditions, was far from the best in Afghanistan (although for other reasons).
Powerplant and chassis
The engine-transmission compartment is located in front of the housing. The power plant is represented by a V-59 V-shaped engine, a V-shaped with a power of 520 hp The peculiarity is that it is combined with a two-stream transmission. The compartment for the gun commander is located to the right of the engine. Immediately in front of the commander’s turret is the driver’s workstation. Directly, the fighting compartment is located in the central part of the hull. Shells are in vertical stackings.
The chassis used in this machine is virtually the same as that used to create the Akatsia self-propelled gun. Since the self-propelled gun is an open type, the gun is mounted openly. This feature of her allowed to make the car a little shorter. Since the artillery mount "Hyacinth" has a relatively small size (in relation to analogues), it is convenient to transport it by air.
Initially, it was supposed to equip the new machine with a PKT machine gun, but this option was not accepted. Later, he was nevertheless introduced into the project a second time. By 1972, projects of both types of Hyacinth with a separate-shell loading method were finally ready. It should be noted that at the same time, a variant with cap-shaped charges was being developed. However, this option did not advance beyond the sketches. The Hyacinth series self-propelled guns were already launched in 1976, and the saturation of troops with new equipment immediately began.
The new “equipment” was put into combat “break-in” in Afghanistan, and the military immediately gave this self-propelled unit a lot of flattering characteristics. They were particularly impressed by the powerful projectile, which could be successfully used to destroy the powerful Taliban fortifications. In some places, the self-propelled 152 mm Hyacinth gun received the nickname "Genocide", which alludes to its military power.
Gun specifications
The design of the 2A37 gun is quite standard: a monoblock pipe, breech and muzzle brake, which cannot be dispensed with with such an impressive caliber. By the way, it belongs to the slot type. The shutter is semi-automatic, rolling type with horizontal skew. The gun is equipped with a hydraulic brake for damping the recoil, as well as a knurling (pneumatic), the feature of which is that its cylinders are rolled away with the barrel. The smallest rollback is 730 mm, the largest - 950 mm.
The chain type rammer works in two steps: first it sends a shell to the breech, and only after it the cartridge case is suitable. Simplify the work of the crew sector lifting and swivel mechanisms. The cannon is rotated on the simplest machine, the device of which excludes almost all major breakdowns.
Other features
In the horizontal region, the gun can be guided within 30 °. Vertical guidance options - from -2.5 ° to 58 °. The gun is closed with a strong shield that protects the crew of the machine from bullets, fragments and a shock wave that occurs when firing. The shield is made by simple stamping from a single sheet of armored steel. Recall once again that Hyacinth is an ACS. Photos show well its low security. This feature of this technique is due to the fact that it is not intended for direct combat clashes with the enemy.
Sights are represented by a simple mechanical sight D726-45, combined with the gun panorama PG-1M. To aim at closer and more clearly visible targets, the optical sight OP4M-91A is intended. The mass of the gun is 10 800 kg.
Chassis and Ammunition Information
In order to unify the chassis, the ACS 2C5 Hyacinth was built on the same base as the ACS 2C3 Acacia. As in the case of Acacia, the entire ammunition is located inside the hull, but the supply of shells to the gun is carried out manually. Outside, in the rear of the machine, a massive stabilizer plate is attached. It rests on the ground when firing, giving the installation the necessary stability.
That is why the self-propelled guns "Hyacinth", in principle, can not shoot on the move. However, the standard time to bring the installation from its traveling position to combat is only four minutes, so the practical effectiveness of this self-propelled guns is very high. This self-propelled gun has excellent maneuverability, which ensures quick movement on the battlefield. Do not forget about the built-in digging equipment. Using it, the crew can deepen the car into the ground in just a few minutes.
You should be aware that initially the VOF39 shell, which had a total weight of 80.8 kg, was the standard ammunition. For the damaging effect in it, the OF-29 charge (46 kg) is responsible, in which almost five kilograms of the strong explosive A-IX-2 are used. The fuse is the simplest (shock) V-429. A little later, the developers created the ZVOF86 shot, which, when combined with the OF-59 projectile, can be used to hit targets at a distance of up to 30 kilometers.
The usual ammunition includes three dozen shots of separate shell loading, and among them there are new types of shots with improved aerodynamic shape, as well as shells with active laser homing.
"Nuclear flower"
In general, in our press this was not too advertised. In the west, reports have long skipped that the Hyacinth self-propelled guns can use nuclear charges up to 0.1-2 kT. It is known that today in our country are developing completely new shells with a caliber of 152 mm for the Hyacinth. One of the most interesting is the 3-0-13 cluster shell, and plans to create self-guided fragmentation elements for it. Very promising are shells designed for active jamming, which seriously impede or make impossible the operation of enemy electronics.
Tactical appointment
This weapon is designed to suppress the enemy’s existing artillery batteries, destroy bunkers and other field fortifications, destroy a variety of enemy command posts (including in the rear), as well as to combat heavy enemy armored vehicles. As we already mentioned, sights allow direct fire (optical) and from closed positions (mechanical sights). Like other artillery and small arms of domestic production, self-propelled guns can be effectively used in any weather and climatic conditions.
Unfortunately, to date, the 2C5 gun is significantly outdated in moral terms. However, this self-
propelled gun to this day remains one of the most long
- range
self -
propelled guns of domestic production, and in this regard, the “Hyacinth” is second only to the “Peony” with its caliber of 203 mm.
Unlike similar installations of this class, the Hyacinth artillery mount was not transferred to any Warsaw Pact country . Only in 1991, immediately after the collapse of the USSR, Finland acquired 15 units. It should be noted that at present there is no information on the development of an adequate replacement for this self-propelled guns for our troops, while potential opponents of the development in this area have never stopped. Thus, we do not know how much more “Hyacinth” will be relevant. The self-propelled gun of this model will probably be in the arsenal of our army for a very long time.