"Tulip" (САУ). Self-propelled 240-mm mortar 2С4 "Tulip"

Immediately after the Winter War of 1939, it became clear that there was a clear shortage of heavy mortars in the troops, which could be effectively used to destroy the enemy's fortified positions. The beginning of the work on their creation prevented the Great Patriotic War, when Soviet industry was not up to heavy mortars.

After the Victory the work resumed. Originally, the M-240 was created. Its caliber, as the name implies, was 240 mm. But the characteristics of the machine did not fully satisfy the military. In particular, they were unhappy with extremely weak reservations. In addition, there were claims to the running gear. It was at this time that the development of the Tulip installation began. The ACS had to have increased power, heavier armor and a reliable running gear.

Start of development

The work was started on July 4, 1967, according to Resolution No. 609-20. As for the most important, artillery part of the new gun (held under the index 2B8), it was practically unchanged from the heavy self-propelled mortar M-240. The ballistics and the ammunition used were completely preserved. Work in this area was carried out by Perm specialists. Yu. N. Kalachnikov was in charge of the project.

It was thanks to him that the automatic control system "Tulip", the characteristics of which are presented in the article, acquired such impressive ballistic data.

Initially, prototypes were collected on the basis of the chassis "Object 305", which, in essence, was almost identical to that of the anti-aircraft "Krug". Initially, the reservation was calculated in such a way as to keep the bullet of the cartridge 7.62x54 from a distance of 300 meters. The development and production of the chassis were handled by specialists at Uraltransmash, which was headed by Yu. V. Tomashov. Just note that the mortar itself can not be used without it in principle.

Factory tests

When did they begin to experience the "Tulip"? SAU first went to test at the end of May 1969. They ended only on October 20 of the same year. Successfully. But ahead were the military trials, and only after them, in 1971, the unit was adopted by the Soviet Army.

The next two years, the plant received an order for four "Tulip", and the cost of one car was 210 thousand rubles. By the way, one self-propelled "Acacia" cost only 30.5 thousand rubles.

Distinctive features of the new ACS

As we have already said, the barrel and ballistic characteristics remained from the predecessor, practically without undergoing any significant changes. But, unlike the M-240, where the calculation was forced to carry out almost all operations manually, the "Tulip" - ACS, equipped with a powerful hydraulic system. It is intended for the following operations:

• The transfer of the gun from combat position to march and vice versa.
• Vertical adjustment of the barrel of the mortar.
• The opening of the bolt, the removal of the barrel on the line of sending the projectile.
• Automatic submission of mines from the mechanized boeukku to the skids of the dispatcher, which are located on the upper part of the chassis.
• In addition, with its help, mortar charging and closing the shutter are performed.

Other characteristics

The angle of fire ACS 2C4 "Tulip", in contrast to the previous heavy mortar, is approximately +63 ". Boeuvering (mechanical) is located directly in the chassis. There are two stacks, and they can accommodate either 40 conventional, high-explosive shells, or 20 reactive, active types. It should be noted that the charging of the ACS can be carried out either directly from the ground, or by means of a special crane. Unlike the vertical, horizontal guidance on the target remained completely manual.

The designers used the well-proven B-59 diesel engine to create this installation. Powerful power plant allows to accelerate the heavy automatic control system to 62.8 km / h on the highway. As for ordinary ground or gravel roads, the speed of movement along them is about 25-30 km / h.

Mines

The main projectile, which is most often used by the 2C4 self-propelled mortar, is the standard F-864 mine, which weighs 130.7 kilograms. Weight of the actual explosive is 31.9 kilograms. As a fuse, GVMZ-7 is used here, which, like every self-respecting mine, has an installation for both instantaneous and delayed detonation.

There are five options for knockout charges, which can give the mine an initial speed of 158 to 362 m / s. Accordingly, the range of fire at this varies from 800 to 9650 meters.

Directly the ignition charge is located in the tube of the liner of the mine. Other weights of powder are in ring-shaped caps, which are fixed on the same tube with special cords. Already in 1967, the government made an order for the industry to develop and create a special mine with a capacity of 2 kilotons, and three years later the work on the development of exactly the same projectile, but already in jet execution, was in full swing.

To date, Russian armored vehicles have a much more impressive projectile ...

"Cheek brings success"

But a real breakthrough occurred in 1983, when the Soviet Union adopted the mine 1K113 "Smelchak." Actually, it's not even a shell in the classical sense of the word, but a separate artillery complex. It consists of the following components: a direct shot ZV84 (2VF4), equipped with a high-explosive projectile ZF5. In addition, there is a laser rangefinder / designator 1D15 or 1D20.

The course correction block is located at the head of the mine, and aerodynamic rudders serve to correct the flight, which can quickly and extremely accurately change the position of the projectile in flight. In addition, a change in the flight course can be made with the help of several solid-fuel accelerators, which are located along the entire body of the mine in radial order.

Advantages of new types of shells

The adjustment takes no more than 0.1-0.3 seconds. The very order of "bold" shooting is exactly the same as that of conventional mines, but the operator needs to set the opening time of the optical part and set the timer to turn on the laser pointer of the target. In general, the target pointer can be activated at a distance of 300-5000 meters from the "destination", after which the enemy object begins to be intensively illuminated by a laser beam. Such armored vehicles of Russia are especially important in recent years, when the development of technologies is incredibly rapid.

By the way, active backlighting is activated only at the moment when the mine will be at a distance of 400-800 meters from the target. This is done so that the system of suppression of the enemy does not have time to react to the emergence of a threat. Simply put, the entire time of the laser operation is no more than three seconds, due to which the probability of counteracting enemy electronics is reduced to zero.

Despite the fact that photos of armored vehicles of this type can leave a deceptive impression of "moral obsolescence", nothing like this is in sight: the installation of the 70s, being used in tandem with new, promising projectiles, may well compete with the best modern designs.

In general, the probability of hitting this type of projectile in a circle two or three meters in diameter is 80-90%. Afghan mujahideen saw this on their own, sad experience. With the help of "Tulips" and "Brave" many of their fortified areas in the mountains were destroyed.

Why do we need such weapons?

In general, "Tulip" is a self-propelled gun, which is simply indispensable for storming the fortified positions of the enemy, as well as for combat operations in the conditions of settlements. So, in this case, often a situation occurs when the enemy's positions begin behind a high-rise apartment building (as was the case in Grozny). The advantage of the "Tulip" is that the installation, being put in 10-20 meters from the building, can send the projectile almost vertically upwards, so that it falls exactly on the other side, flying over the positions of its troops.

By the way, powerful explosions of mines of this caliber produce an absolutely indelible impression on the opponents. This is particularly true of fanatical followers of the radical currents of Islam: many of them believe that, having lost their body, they will not enter paradise. Accordingly, in the same Afghanistan, there were cases when large detachments of the enemy left their positions only after learning about the impending shelling from the "Tulips".

Mysteries of History

Many sources have data that during these two Chechen campaigns these mortars were not used. In other publications, there are reports that during the assault "Minutki" there was still a volley from the "Tulip". In any case, the hypocritical Dudayev did not fail to bring down a flurry of criticism on the Russian army, accusing her of "using nuclear weapons." The "democratic" press enthusiastically supported him. It is still not known exactly whether the episode with the use of "Tulip" had a place in reality.

The fog of suspense is covered and armored vehicles of Ukraine: it is still unknown (and it is unlikely that it will ever be publicized), how many of these machines are in service with the country.

According to archival data, as of 1989, there were at least 400 heavy mortars in the USSR. That is why we can safely say that the armored vehicles of Ukraine also have this self-propelled unit in its composition, since some mortars were based on the western borders.

Current state of affairs

After the Second World War, no power in the world of such weapons into service did not take. In principle, until now there are no mortars in NATO countries, the caliber of which would exceed 120 millimeters.

As for Russia, in our country, after the "Tulip", the work on heavy mortars was virtually eliminated, as the existing models satisfied the military completely. Be that as it may, the "Tulip" SAU, whose photo is in the article, has no analogs in the world to this day.