Howitza "Hyacinth". Gun "Hyacinth-B": specifications and photos

Approximately in the 50s-60s of the last century the development of traditional barrel artillery in the USSR almost stopped. Then in the military doctrine prevailed the opinion that the future is for missiles. In such circumstances, developers of conventional weapons had to make a lot of efforts to convince the country's leadership of the need for further development of this branch of military equipment.

The last straw was the situation in some "hot spots" of the time when the old Soviet howitzers proved to be much worse than the latest developments of American gunsmiths. It was at that time that the howitzer "Hyacinth" appeared. Its creation marked the beginning of a new era, in which the importance of classical barrel artillery was no longer disputed by anyone. It was based on the self-propelled units of the same name, which are still in service in many countries of the world.

Basic technical information

This is the name of a towed cannon of Soviet manufacture, the caliber of which is 152 mm. Accordingly, it belongs to the category of large-caliber artillery. This technique is intended to suppress and completely destroy enemy infantry, artillery and combat armored vehicles of the enemy on the march, as well as to destroy fortified command posts and places of compact concentration of enemy forces.

Like other similar Soviet technology, howitzer "Hyacinth" can successfully be used in a wide range of weather and climate conditions. In order not to be unfounded, we give a concrete example. So, on tests it showed decent results when firing at ambient temperature from -50 ° C to +50 ° C. This weapon is in service with the troops of the Russian Federation, as well as other countries that were formerly part of the USSR. In addition, howitzer "Hyacinth" is in service with the army of Finland.

A Brief Historical Reference

The development of a new type of weapons began in 1968, in Perm. Before the developers, from the very beginning, one task was set: to create a new gun, the characteristics of which would exceed the analogues that existed on that day. From the very beginning, the design of two types of plants was started at once. The first is the towed howitzer "Hyacinth 2A36", the second is model 2А37. The last gun was intended for mounting on a self-propelled artillery installation with a similar name.

Initially, the chief designer was appointed talented engineer Yu. N. Kalachnikov. It should be noted that the first shooting examples of guns were shown as early as 1971-1972. It began to be supplied to the Soviet Army by 1976. Why was it chosen such a small caliber for the instrument "Hyacinth"? The howitzer 240 mm would have been more effective in terms of combat power, but it would only be necessary to develop a special tractor for transporting such a monster.

Reasons for popularity

Even today the "morally obsolete" model 2A36 has excellent characteristics that make a howitzer a formidable weapon. It has excellent fighting power, high mobility and reliability. It can be transported without special problems by rail, by water and by air. If the "Hyacinth" cannon is used by an experienced commander, it can be successfully used in almost all conditions of modern combat.

Information on the technical device

The gun is equipped with a semi-automatic shutter, hydropneumatic hammer, which uses the recoil energy to return the trunk to the starting position after the shot is fired. To facilitate the handling of heavy ammunition, there is a chain feeder for both the projectile itself and the explosive powder charge (shells of separate charging).

To produce volleys directly from the march (provided the wheels are hung) a pallet with a powerful hydraulic jack is used. In the gun design, a two-speed vertical guidance mechanism is provided. The cannon is a cannon of 152 mm caliber, model 2А36. Together with the muzzle brake, the total length of the barrel is 8197 mm.

Combat deployment

The "Hyacinth" gun was produced on a carriage with three frames, which was very similar to the 122 mm towed howitzer D-30. The two frames of the three are mobile, so the procedure for deploying the battery in the terrain is relatively simple. By the time this operation takes at the prepared calculation no more than two or three minutes. Since the weight of the gun is relatively small (about ten tons), standard army tractors can be used to transport it.

What technique can I use for towing?

Note that for this purpose KrAZ-255B, KrAZ-260 (6x6) or standard AT-T, ATC, ATC-59 AT-C, MT-T caterpillar tractors that are available in almost all participating countries can be used. Warsaw Treaty. It is interesting that during transportation by means of a tractor the speed of movement is allowed up to 60 km / h. This "Hyacinth-B" favorably differs from other towed howitzers, which are in the arsenal of our country and the NATO bloc.

Counteracting recoil

Placing on the gun carriage of a powerful gun was made possible by the fact that a muzzle brake of a special design was used, which allowed approximately a two-fold decrease in the return. To facilitate the work of calculation, the design provides a chain device for the supply of shells. The upper machine has a light shield, which protects personnel from bullets and debris. As for the ballistic indicators, they are almost the same as those for the ML-20 howitzer.

It should be noted that with the design of the protective shield, designers had to tinker a lot in their time. The fact is that during the initial tests the soldiers noted the action of an extremely strong muzzle wave. She not only raised a cloud of dust, completely unmasking the enemy, but also could cause serious injury to the calculation. As a result of studying all this information, the designers managed to create a relatively compact but effective shield, which in some cases was able to withstand even machine-gun fire at the artillery position.

Anti-roll mechanism

As we have already said, the gun design uses a slotted muzzle brake. But it is clearly not enough to level the strongest impact when firing a 152-millimeter shell. To completely exclude injury calculations and improve shooting accuracy, the designers provided a hydraulic brake and a pneumatic driller.

Unlike other domestic howitzers, the latter is filled with nitrogen. This inert gas allows you to more efficiently extinguish the return of powerful projectiles.

Characteristics of shells

It should be noted that special shots were developed specially for the "Hyacinth-B" for separate-liner loading. This was due to the fact that the designers posed rather complicated tasks and harsh conditions. They had to create a weapon with sufficient mobility and mobility with high combat power. In addition, the gun should have been serviced for more than three or four people.

So let's list all the main types of shells that can be used by "Hyacinth". The howitzer, whose photo is in the article, shoots the following types of ammunition:

• WFO model39. A standard shot, the construction includes high-explosive fragmentation warhead OF-29. The total weight is 46 kilograms, of which 6.73 kg fall on a particularly powerful explosive of the brand A-IX-2.
• Type ZVVF86. It is interesting that in the design there is an active-rocket missile model OF-59, with which you can confidently hit the target at distances of up to 33.5 kilometers.
• A special nuclear projectile of low power (0.1-2 kg) was also developed. It should be noted that at the moment such ammunition is prohibited by a number of conventions. However, all the same it is necessary to bear in mind that howitzer "Hyacinth", the characteristic of which is given in the article, can fire such ammunition. This makes it an extremely formidable weapon among all the variety of barrel artillery.
• A shot of cassette type 3О-13. It can be equipped with fragmentation detonating elements, at the moment there are cassette projectiles, in which self-inflicting damaging elements are used. High combat performance is achieved through the use of modern target sensors. More recently, shells have been developed that can be used to create active radio interference preventing enemy artillery from being guided to the target.
• There is also an anti-tank cumulative shot (direct-fire shooting only), as well as smoke shells.

Combat application

Practical exploitation in the conditions of Afghanistan has shown that for one minute prepared and trained calculation can produce about five to six shots. In general, the military's comments on this weapon are very flattering: the power and the beautiful ballistics of the shells made it possible to destroy virtually any strengthening of the enemy.

It should be noted that in those conditions the artillerymen had to be very difficult, since there was almost no visual control of the target, and the changeable mountain weather greatly complicated even the direct fire. At the same time, the "Hyacinths" earned recognition from our military, thanks to their high reliability: even after several dozen shots produced simultaneously, the guns were ready for further combat.

Note that the 152-mm howitzers "Hyacinth" was used quite actively by our troops in both Chechen campaigns. The combat power of this gun repeatedly served a good service, because with its help it was possible without special effort to destroy the position of the militants, even if they were fixed in massive concrete buildings. Several volleys of direct fire - and from the DOT remained only a mountain of construction rubble.

Dimensions of the implement

The gun has a very impressive size: its length is almost 13 meters in the marching position, in combat it is slightly less - about 12.5 m. On the trunk the height in the marching position is 2760 millimeters. The ground clearance of the biaxial chassis is 475 millimeters. The width of the stroke is 2340 millimeters. The diameter of each of the four wheels is 1080 millimeters, the width of the tire is 300 millimeters.

The working pressure in the tires should be maintained at 4.8 kgf / cm², the stroke of the springs is approximately 150 mm. Howitzer "Hyacinth-B" weighs about 9800 kilograms. The maximum firing range of high-explosive fragmentation shells is 28.5 kilometers. What other distance can the "Hyacinth" shoot? The howitzer, whose firing range in ordinary conditions reaches 25-28 thousand meters, in the case of using modern missiles can fire at a distance of up to 41 kilometers.

All this allows us to say that the weapon, which began to be developed in the 1960s, still has impressive effectiveness on the battlefield.

Some modifications

High combat power and efficiency of use (the self-propelled howitzers "Hyacinth" received the nickname "Genocide") contributed to the fact that many enterprises in the USSR began to offer their variants of modification of such useful weapons. One option was the BK index. The letter "K" means a cap type charging. In principle, such an approach was expected: the presence of a brass sleeve in the design of a 152 mm shell significantly increases its cost.

In addition, a number of 155-mm "Hyacinths" were produced, intended for export to countries using artillery shells of the NATO standard.