15 units of the newest 2S33 Msta-SM2 152 mm self-propelled howitzer (SPH) have entered service with Combined Arms Army located in Moscow region. The brigade has received combat hardware form military industry complex, and has put it into service. Crews have undergone retraining. The systems are placed in the brigades’ facilities. The vehicles have been accepted, tested and have already entered the training grounds as part of combat training activities. It is noted that an updated version of the self-propelled howitzer was delivered to the troops, which differs from earlier versions of the self-propelled guns.
The 2S33 Msta-SM2 is an improved production version of the 2S19 Msta-S. The 2S33 MSTA-SM2 howitzer is fitted with with a new 2A79 152 mm/L60 ordnance that has improved ballistics. It can fire ammunition with more propellant charges and with a higher breech pressure than the 2S19 Msta-S. The gun is longer and has a heavier barrel. As a result it has a greater range of fire. Maximum range of fire with standard HE-FRAG shell is 30 km and 40 km with rocket-assisted shell. The original 2S19 Msta-S had a maximum range of 24 km with standard HE-FRAG shell and nearly 29 km with rocket-assisted shell. So that’s a significant improvement in range.
The Msta-SM2 is compatible with all standard 152 mm ammunition used by the 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled howitzer, 2A65 Msta-B field howitzer, D-20 field howitzer, 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer. A wide range of 152 mm ammunition is available, including standard and rocket-assisted HE-FRAG shells, cluster shells with anti-tank submunitions, jammer carrying shells and so on. This artillery system is compatible with newly-developed Krasnopol-D precision-guided munitions with GPS guidance. These munitions have a range of up to 43 km. This Russian artillery system is also compatible with older Krasnopol-M2 laser-guided munitions that have a range of up to 26 km.
The Western Military District is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction primarily within the western central region of European Russia. The Western Military District was created as part of the 2008 military reforms, and founded by Presidential Decree ?1144 signed on September 20, 2010, as an amalgamation of the Moscow Military District, Leningrad Military District and Kaliningrad Special Region. The Western Military District is the second smallest military district in Russia by geographic size. The district contains 26 federal subjects of Russia.
