Rostec has demonstrated joint operation of Msta-S self-propelled howitzer, modernized for NATO-standard 155 mm calibre, and Orlan-10E reconnaissance drone to representatives of a foreign customer. During the demonstration, the artillery system created by Uraltransmash (subsidiary of UralVagonZavod under Rostec State Corporation) fired at a maximum range of 40 kilometers and showed excellent coordination capabilities with the UAV.
It fired at a maximum distance of 40 km with laying recovery in automatic mode. Msta-S has also shown excellent results when used in coordination with a control system and Orlan-10E UAV. The demonstration took place at the Staratel training ground in the city of Nizhny Tagil. In this mode, Orlan-10E can transfer target coordinates to the control system, which calculates the proper firing arc and sends the data to the crew of the self-propelled howitzer.
The 2S19 “Msta-S” (after the Msta River) is a 152.4 mm self-propelled howitzer designed by Soviet Union, which entered service in 1989 as the successor to the 2S3 Akatsiya. The vehicle is based on the T-80 tank hull, but is powered by the T-72’s diesel engine. The 2S19’s standard equipment consists of a semi-automatic laying system 1P22, an automatic loader, an NBC protection system,aa smoke generator and 81mm smoke launchers, 1V116 intercom system and a 16 kW generator AP-18D.
The Orlan-10 is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the Special Technology Center (STC) in Saint Petersburg for the Russian Armed Forces. The drone is usually used in a group of two or three, where the first one is used for reconnaissance in a height of 1–1.5 km, the second one for electronic warfare and the third one as a transponder that transmits intelligence information to the control center. More than 1000 Orlan-10’s have been produced, with 11 different variations.
