152 mm howitzer 2A65 Msta-B

152 mm Howitzer 2A65
Split trail
Elevation	-3.5° to +70°
Traverse	28°
Rate of fire	5-6 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	828 m/s (2,720 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	28.9 km (18.0 mi)

The 2A65 "Msta-B" (named from the

. The "B" in the designation is an abbreviation for Buksiruyemaya, which means towed. This weapon has been fielded in Soviet and Russian forces since at least 1987 and as of 2022 is currently in service with Russian front and army level artillery units, as well as the militaries of six other countries, most of them former Soviet republics.

The 2A65 howitzer is capable of firing nuclear artillery shells.^[3]

Development

In addition to the towed 152 mm

, which is also referred to as the Msta-S. Full details of the latter are given in a separate entry. In the designation Msta-B the latter stands for Buksiruemyi, or towed.

Description

The 152 mm howitzer 2A65 (M1987) is mounted on a conventional split trail carriage and, when deployed in the firing position, rests on three points, the hydraulic circular firing jack under the forward part of the carriage and the two spades at the rear. Each of the box section trails has a caster wheel to assist the gun crew in bringing the weapon into action. When deployed in the firing position, these swing upwards through 180° and rest on top of each trail. The 152 mm ordnance is fitted with a muzzle brake and a semi-automatic breech mechanism, spring-operated ramming system, hydraulic counter-recoil device and a liquid-cooled recoil brake. Elevation and traverse is manual, two-speed, with the direct and indirect sighting devices being located on the left side of the weapon. Pneumatic brakes are fitted as standard.

The gun fires the same 152 mm ammunition types as the 152 mm 2S19 self-propelled artillery system and, more recently, a new family of separate loading (for example projectile and charge) 152 mm has been introduced. The standard OF45 high-explosive projectile weighs 43.56 kilograms, has a maximum muzzle velocity of 823 meters per second and a maximum range of 24.7 km. The charges include OF72 (long range), OF58 (full charge) and OF73 (reduced charge). The OF45 projectile can be fitted with different rear ends, for example various types of screw-on boat tails, or the OF61 base bleed projectile which weighs 42.86 kilograms, has a maximum muzzle velocity of 828 m/s and a maximum range of 29 km. The OF23 cargo projectile weighs 42.8 kg, has a maximum range of 26 kilometers and contains 42 High-Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT) bomblets, each of which can penetrate 100 millimeters of conventional steel armour. Other types of projectile include the HS30 jamming round and the Russian 152 mm

towed gun-howitzer and the 2S3 self-propelled gun-howitzer.

The howitzer is towed by either the KrAZ-260 6x6 truck or the

.

In Russian Army service, the 2A65 is deployed with the 9th Artillery Brigade in Luga, the 288th Artillery Brigade in Inzhenernyy, and the 291st Artillery Brigade in

. The total number of active 2A65 howitzers in Russian service is estimated at 370.

The 2A65 is also in service with the

Zaporizhia

.

During the

In

Defense Forces of Georgia

, 2A65 is in service within 5th Artillery brigade of Eastern Army Command.

A self-propelled version, the

2S19 Msta

, is produced.

Operators

•  Belarus: 108^{[6]: 187–188}
•  Georgia: 10^[6]: 191
•  Kazakhstan: 50^[6]: 189
•  Russia^{[quantify][6]: 196}
•  Syria^[7]
•  Turkmenistan: 6^[6]: 210
•  Ukraine: 130^[6]: 212

Former operators

•  Soviet Union

Variants

• M-390 - This is a 155mm export version of the 2A65, developed by Factory No 9 in Yekaterinburg.^[8]
• MZ-146-1 - This is also a 155mm export version that was shown in public for the first time in 2008. Contrary to the original, this type is fitted with a
  fume extractor
  .

Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

See also

• 2A36 Giatsint-B

References

External links

• Jane's extract on the 2A65