MOSCOW, June 29. /TASS/. The state tech corporation Rostec delivered the first batch of upgraded Msta-S motorized howitzers to Russian troops this year under the defense procurement plan, the Rostec press office announced on Thursday.
"As part of the 2023 defense procurement plan, Rostec delivered the first batch of 2S19M1 Msta-S new self-propelled artillery systems to the Defense Ministry of Russia. The upgraded howitzer is furnished with an automatic guidance and fire control system that allows for delivering fire against targets round the clock and in any weather conditions," the press office said in a statement.
The guidance and fire control system enables the weapon to autonomously determine coordinates and automatically gauge data for fire from sheltered firing positions and provide for a counter-fire maneuver. In addition, it automatically directs the gun and recovers after a shot. The automated loading process, the choice of the munition and the self-ejection reduce the load on the crew and provide for the fire rate of eight rounds per minute, using the munitions it carries.
All the supplied howitzers have undergone running and firing tests at a proving ground and a factory inspection before their delivery to the troops, Rostec Armaments, Ammunition and Special Chemistry Cluster Industrial Director Bekkhan Ozdoyev said.
"Now the howitzers have been loaded onto special automobile platforms and dispatched to permanent bases," he specified.
The 2S19 Msta-S is the self-propelled modification of the 152mm Soviet and Russian howitzer (the Msta-B as the towed version) designed to wipe out and suppress various types of enemy combat hardware and manpower, destroy its defensive sites and deny the maneuver of its infantry and tank reserves. Its export modification features the 155mm caliber.
The Russian Defense Ministry has uploaded video clips on many occasions showing Msta-S howitzers hammering enemy targets in the special military operation in Ukraine.