2С5 "Hyacinth". Self-propelled 152-mm cannon "Hyacinth-C"

Since the "great retreat" of the Russian army in the First World War in the First World War, large-caliber weapons were in the focus of attention of the Russian and Soviet leadership.

Causes of appearance

Even the rapid development of aviation and missile technology did not lead artillery systems of large caliber from the category of priority ones. Only in the short period of Khrushchev's rule was an attempt made to bet on missiles at the expense of barrel artillery. The re-equipment of the Soviet Army was due to the need to replace weapons systems developed during the Patriotic War. Not all of them corresponded to the concept of application in the modern army. The saturation of troops with highly maneuverable armored vehicles, aircraft, and missile weapons contrasted with inactive towed artillery systems, which formed the basis of large-caliber artillery. The enemy's troops also developed on the basis of the concept of a rapid massed impact. The time of active battery activity of the battery increasingly depended on the ability to quickly take positions to strike and the ability to evade the response. In the late sixties of the twentieth century, the development of the self-propelled artillery system "Hyacinth" began. The weapons of the new generation fully meet modern challenges.

General appearance 2C5 "Hyacinth"

The main task of the system is the fire support of land forces during the conduct of hostilities. Destruction of long-term and equipped fortified points, destruction of enemy enemy forces and equipment. The "Hyacinth" system, whose gun makes it possible to fire at a distance of almost forty kilometers with 152 mm shells of various equipment, from high to high, allows solving problems that can not be accomplished by other means. Counter-battery fighting against enemy artillery is one of the most important functions. Installation 2C5 "Hyacinth" as much as possible corresponds to it. High mobility and rate of fire, a short time of deploying to positions provide surprise and reduce vulnerability to retaliation. Armor protects the crew from shrapnel, which allows the self-propelled gun to act even on the front lines.

Platform

The combat platform was developed by the Urals plant of transport engineering in the early seventies. On the armored self-propelled chassis of the "Hyacinth" installation, the cannon was installed in an open manner, without combat felling. In front of the machine there is a diesel engine with a capacity of 520 horsepower. Calculation of the gun during the movement is in the body of the machine, protected by armor from one to three centimeters. Places operator and gunner during the movement are located on the sides of the machine, on either side of the ammunition. Behind the hatch of the driver-mechanic in the frontal part of the car there is a commander's turret equipped with surveillance and communication systems. There is also installed a 7.62mm machine gun as a self-defense weapon.

Location of the tool

When moving, the gun is in the transport position, being placed horizontally, along the machine body. When conducting fire, it is put into combat position with an angle of inclination of up to 60 degrees vertically. The rollback of the implement is perceived not only by the body of the machine, but also by the stern support plate, resting on the ground. During the change of position, the base plate is lifted by the hydraulic system to the rear of the housing. Combat feeding of the gun with separate loading shots is carried out using a semi-automatic system. In addition to the delivery of the cartridge case and the projectile from the waggonbombing in the body of the machine, it is possible to supply charges from the ground. For this , the "Hyacinth" installation is equipped with an ammunition loader and a conveyor.

Opportunities of the tool

The 152 mm cannon is capable of firing at a range of up to forty kilometers, depending on the type of projectile. The shot of the gun includes a shell and a projectile, fed separately to the breech. The rate of fire of a gun when loaded from an internal mechanized booster is five to six rounds per minute. Internal voyage combat contains thirty rounds of separate loading, ensuring the rate of fire and autonomy of the self-propelled gun. In comparison with towed guns of the same purpose, the deployment time is five times less for the "Hyacinth" system. Weapons have increased efficiency in counter-battery fighting, ahead of the previous samples, according to experts, twenty-five percent.

Used ammunition

The main type of ammunition for the weapon are high-explosive shells. In conventional equipment, they can fire up to thirty kilometers. The use of active-reactive versions of the OFS increases this parameter to thirty-five to thirty-seven kilometers. Destruction of point targets is conducted with the use of guided projectiles with laser illumination "Krasnopol" and "Centimeter". Despite the shorter flight range, limited to twelve or twenty kilometers, they turn the 2S5 "Hyacinth" into a precision weapon. The caliber of the cannon made it possible to introduce into the ammunition several samples of shells with a nuclear warhead from two tenth to two kilotons in TNT. The ammunition line demonstrates the widest range of system capabilities - from sniper shooting to guided missiles to the use of tactical nuclear weapons.

Putting into service

After a series of tests that have been going on since 1970, the machine was adopted in 1975 and entered mass production. The Soviet Army received a modern multifunctional machine with a mass of about 30 tons, with a large power reserve along the highway and range of fire. In addition to the Soviet Army, 152 mm SAU 2S5 "Hyacinth" was supplied to the armed forces of Finland, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Modern modifications

The significant modernization potential of the 2C5 "Hyacinth" system was realized after the machine was delivered to the troops. Work was carried out to develop aiming and guidance systems, improve communication and navigation. A new long-range projectile with a gas dynamical accelerator was developed for the gun. A 155-millimeter cannon and a howitzer system were installed on the platform.

Combat application

For the outstanding characteristics of combat power in the Soviet and Russian army for the system entrenched joking name "genocide". Battle baptism in Afghanistan 2C5 "Hyacinth" was held with honor. His calculations carried out cover for transport and combat convoys, suppressed the firing points of the dushmans. Well proven chassis, which is the successor to the chassis of the legendary front-line SU-100. In the difficult conditions of the mountainous terrain, it demonstrated high reliability and survivability, showing superiority over modern developments. After all, the T-64 tank with its specially designed chassis had to be withdrawn from Afghanistan because of reliability problems. The end of the Afghan war was not the end of the combat biography. A self-propelled 152-millimeter cannon was used during the suppression of the resistance of Chechen terrorists. Also during the war in Ukraine, the 2C5 "Hyacinth" system is used. Photo and video materials testify to the use of large-caliber weapons for shelling the cities of Donetsk and Lugansk regions.