The press office of the Uralvagonzavod defense manufacturer (part of the state tech corporation Rostec) reported that the production of the latest Floks self-propelled mortar system and Magnolia self-propelled artillery gun may begin in late 2022 and early 2023. Currently, the prototypes of the 120mm Floks self-propelled wheeled artillery system and the 120mm Magnolia self-propelled artillery gun based on the DT-30PM two-section tracked armored chassis are at the final stage of preliminary trials.
The latest 120mm 2S40 Floks (Phlox) self-propelled artillery gun is mounted on the Ural-4320 6×6 wheeled armored vehicle. The gun has been developed as part of the ‘Nabrosok’ R&D work. The gun uses some components of the 2S31 Vena self-propelled mortar system. It can fire various munitions, including HEAT, HE-FRAG, mortar mine smoke and Kitolov-2M precision guided munitions. 28 rounds are ready to use and ore rounds can be carried by escorting truck. The weapon can be used as a howitzer and a mortar and can be employed for direct fire.
The 2S41 Drok is a new Russian mobile mortar system fitted with a 182 mm ordnance. The mortar has a maximum firing rate of 12 rounds per minute with a maximum range of 6,000 m and a minimum range of 100 m and has a full complement of 40 mortar bombs. The mortar turret offers sufficient depression for use in the direct-fire role, which provides further engagement options for close-range targets. The base vehicle used is the Taifun K-4386 4×4 mine-resistant protected patrol vehicle.
The Magnolia self-propelled artillery system mounted on the DT-30PM armored two-section tracked transporter has been developed by the Burevestnik Central Research Institute under the Nabrosok R&D work. In addition to Magnolia, the family of next-generation artillery guns includes the 82mm Drok self-propelled mortar and the 120mm self-propelled artillery system mounted on the Floks automobile chassis.This Russian artillery system can use either any standard 120 mm mortar shells or Kitolov-2M precision guided munitions.
Russian Army Commander-in-Chief Army General Oleg Salyukov said in an interview with the Defense Ministry’s Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper in November 2019 that Russia was completing work under the Nabrosok experimental design work to develop a family of highly mobile artillery and mortar armaments mounted on different types of the chassis, including the systems for their operation in the Arctic region that would boost the battalion-level artillery’s mobility and firing capabilities.
In June, Deputy Defense Minister of the Russian Federation Alexey Krivoruchko visited the Smolino test site in the Nizhny Novgorod region during a working trip, where he checked the progress of the state defense order. The military personnel at the training ground demonstrated firing at various ranges from new artillery systems, such as Magnolia, Malva, Floks, Lotus, Drok and Sprut airborne light tank. The gunners fired at stationary and moving targets.
