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Advanced artillery system for Russian paratroopers to enter state trials in 2019

Engineers have developed a special protection system for the Lotos gun to shield it from precision weapons

Russia's self-propelled artillery gun Alexander Ryumin/TASS

Russia's self-propelled artillery gun

© Alexander Ryumin/TASS

MOSCOW, February 28. /TASS/. The state trials of the latest Lotos self-propelled artillery gun for Russia’s Airborne Force will enter state trials in 2019, CEO of the TsNIITochMash defense contractor Albert Bakov told Izvestia daily on Thursday.

TsNIITochMash is the developer of the Lotos artillery system.

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"The Lotos self-propelled artillery gun is one of the parts of this work. In 2019, we are planning to start state trials," the chief executive said.

TsNIITochMash engineers have developed a special protection system for the Lotos gun to shield it from precision weapons, he said.

The Lotos artillery system will also feature a high-level of automation for guiding, feeding and loading rounds and will get an advanced reconnaissance and sighting system.

The Lotos is a follow-up and a replacement of the Zauralets project, which was aimed at developing a new self-propelled artillery gun for the Airborne Force to boost the paratroopers’ firepower and maneuverable capabilities. The Lotos system will be furnished with the 120 mm gun as its basic armament.

The artillery system can be transported by military transport planes and air-dropped by parachutes. As Russia’s Defense Ministry noted earlier, the promising Lotos gun will replace 120 mm Nona artillery systems in the Airborne Force’s artillery units, once it enters service. It was reported in September 2017 that the Russian military had set the task of launching the serial production of Lotos artillery systems in 2020.

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