The 2S19 Msta (russian: Мста, after the

Msta River The Msta () is a river in Tver and Novgorod Oblasts of northwestern Russia, a tributary of Lake Ilmen. It is long, and the area of its basin . The principal tributaries of the Msta are the Berezayka (left), the Uver (right), the Peretna (left), ...

) is a 152.4 mm

self-propelled howitzer Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled m ...

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

, which entered service in 1989 as the successor to the

2S3 Akatsiya The SO-152 (Russian: СО-152) is a Soviet 152.4 mm self-propelled gun developed in 1968, as a response to the American 155 mm M109 howitzer. Development began in 1967, according to the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Sovie ...

. The vehicle has the running gear of the

T-80 The T-80 is a main battle tank (MBT) that was designed and manufactured in the former Soviet Union and manufactured in Russia. The T-80 is based on the T-64, while incorporating features from the later T-72. The chief designer of the T-80 was S ...

, but is powered by the

T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet/Russian main battle tanks that entered production in 1969. The T-72 was a development of the T-64, which was troubled by high costs and its reliance on immature developmental technology. About 25,000 T-72 tanks h ...

's diesel engine.

Development

The ''Msta'' is a howitzer designed for deployment either as an unarmored towed gun, or to be fitted in armored

self-propelled artillery Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled ...

mountings. Current production of the towed model is designated ''Msta-B'', while the self-propelled model is the ''Msta-S'' (also known by the

GRAU The Main Missile and Artillery Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (), commonly referred to by its transliterated Russian acronym GRAU (), is a department of the Russian Ministry of Defense. It is subordinate to the ...

index 2S19). Development of the 2S19 started in 1980 under the project name ''Ferma''. The prototype was known as Ob'yekt 316. The 2S19's standard equipment consists of a semi-automatic laying system 1P22, an automatic loader, an NBC protection system, passive night vision device for the driver, a vehicle snorkel, a dozer blade, a smoke generator and 81mm smoke launchers, 1V116 intercom system and a 16 kW generator AP-18D. In 2008 the Russian armed forces ordered an improved model with an automated fire control system.

Operational use

Msta-S howitzers were used by

Russian Army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Force ...

to deliver artillery strikes against

Chechen separatists The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (; ce, Нохчийн Республик Ичкери, Nóxçiyn Respublik Içkeri; russian: Чеченская Республика Ичкерия; abbreviated as "ChRI" or "CRI") was a ''de facto'' state that ...

during the

Second Chechen War The Second Chechen War (russian: Втора́я чече́нская война́, ) took place in Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from August 1999 ...

. Msta-S howitzers have been used in the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since February 2014. Following Ukraine's Rev ...

by the

Ukrainian Army The Ukrainian Ground Forces ( uk, Сухопу́тні військá Збрóйних сил Украї́ни), also known as the Ukrainian Army, are the land forces of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They w ...

as well as pro-Russian separatists who captured one machine during the conflict.

Operators

Current operators

* – 18 * – 12 * – 10 * – 1 * – Received an undisclosed number of Msta-S. * – Approximately 760 in service (including over 260 2S19M1 and over 210 2S19M2) and 270 more stored as of 2020. More Msta-SMs are being delivered. * – 40, plus at least 33 2S19 Msta-S and 12 2S33 Msta-SM2 captured from Russia. * – 48 Russia recently offered its Msta-S 152 mm Howitzer to foreign countries, particularly in the Middle East. A demonstration was organised in 2020 by

Rosoboronexport JSC Rosoboronexport (russian: AO Рособоронэкспорт, ''Rosoboroneksport'') is the sole state intermediary agency for Russia's exports/imports of defense-related and dual use products, technologies and services. The Rosoboronexport ...

, the country's nodal agency for arms export, for representatives from various Middle Eastern countries.

Former operators

Specifications

Msta-S specifications provided by manufacturer * Range: ** 24.7 km (15.3 mi) standard round ** 28.9 km (18 mi) base-bleed ** 36 km (22 mi) rocket-assisted * Rate of fire: 6–8 rounds per minute * Weapon elevation: −4° to +68° * Weapon traverse: 360° * Deployment time: 22 minutes * Unit of fire: 50 rounds

Variants

* 152 mm howitzer 2A65 – a towed version of the same gun. * 1K17 Szhatie – a "laser tank" armed with a battery of lasers meant to disable optoelectronic systems; based on the Msta-S. * 2S19M1 (unveiled in 2000, first deliveries in 2007) – Improved

fire-control system A fire-control system (FCS) is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director, and radar, which is designed to assist a ranged weapon system to target, track, and hit a target. It performs the same task as a ...

and added

GLONASS GLONASS (russian: ГЛОНАСС, label=none, ; rus, links=no, Глобальная навигационная спутниковая система, r=Global'naya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema, t=Global Navigation Satellite System) is ...

antenna. Modernised V-84AMS engine. * 2S19M2 or 2S33 "Msta-SM2" (2013) – Improved version currently in production equipped with a new automatic fire control system which increases the rate of fire. Digital electronic maps are now available which significantly speeds up the terrain orientation in difficult geographical conditions and allows performing faster and more efficiently firing missions. Russians say that its range is up to 80 km. * 2S19M1-155 (2006) – 155 mm export version of the 2S19M1, fitted with an L/52 gun with a range of more than 40 km. Modernized in 2020. A modernized version for hot climates has been tested in India as of August 2022. * 2S21 "Msta-K" – Wheeled variant, based on an eight-wheel truck chassis. It used the 2A67 gun, a variant of the 2A65 modified for use from wheeled platforms. There were several different prototypes, including one based on the Ural-5323 and one on the KrAZ-6316. The project was abandoned in 1987. * 2S19M (also known as 2S30 "Iset" and 2S33 "Msta-SM") – Project for a version with improved range and rate of fire, easier maintenance and optimised manufacturing process. Started between the 1990s and the early 2000s, but quickly abandoned in favor of the

2S35 Koalitsiya-SV The 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV (russian: 2С35 «Коалиция-СВ», translation="Coalition-SV") is a Russian self-propelled gun first seen in public (initially with its turret covered) in 2015 during rehearsals for the Moscow Victory Day Parade. T ...

. * 2S35 "Koalitsiya-SV" – Project for a new artillery system for the Russian land forces (SV stands for "sukhoputniye voyska"). Early prototypes consisted of a 2S19 chassis with modified turret, fitted with an over-and-under dual autoloaded 152 mm howitzer. Development of this variant was abandoned in favour of an entirely new artillery system using the same designation.

Similar vehicles

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* K-9 Thunder *

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References

External links

*
2S19 152-mm Self-Propelled Howitzer

{{DEFAULTSORT:2s19 Msta Cold War artillery of the Soviet Union Howitzers of Russia Self-propelled howitzers of the Soviet Union Self-propelled artillery of Russia 152 mm artillery Tracked self-propelled howitzers Self-propelled artillery of the Cold War Uraltransmash products Military vehicles introduced in the 1980s