2S35 Koalitsiya-SV 152mm Self-Propelled Howitzer, Russia

The 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled howitzer was developed by JSC Central Research Institute Burevestnik. Image courtesy of Vitaly V. Kuzmin under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International licence.

The 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV can be operated by three crew members. Image courtesy of Vitaly V. Kuzmin under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International licence.

The main armament of the 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV is a 152mm gun. Image courtesy of Vitaly V. Kuzmin under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International licence.

Development on the 152mm self-propelled howitzer started in 2006. Credit: Vitaly V. Kuzmin via Shutterstock. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International licence.

A 12.7mm machine gun is the secondary weapon for Koalitsiya-SV howitzer. Image courtesy of Vitaly V. Kuzmin under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International licence.

Development on the 152mm self-propelled howitzer started in 2006. Image courtesy of Vitaly V. Kuzmin under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International licence.

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The 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV is a 152mm self-propelled howitzer manufactured by UralTransMash, a subsidiary of Russian military equipment producer Uralvagonzavod.

It was designed by JSC Central Research Institute Burevestnik (Petrel), a division of Uralvagonzavod based in Nizhny Novgorod. Development on the howitzer began in 2006.

Mounted on a modified T-72/90 tracked chassis, a Koalitsiya-SV prototype was unveiled during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow in May 2015.

The first batch of 12 units was delivered to the Russian Armed Forces for initial trials in March 2015.

The Russian Army received the first batch of the latest 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled howitzer in May 2020. Trials of a wheeled version of the Koalitsiya-SV, based on the Kamaz-6550 truck chassis, began during the same month. The completion of the trials of the latest artillery system is expected in 2022.

Central Research Institute Burevestnik is also working on the development of advanced ammunitions for the artillery system. The Russian Defence Ministry awarded a contract for the supply of the latest Koalitsiya-SV artillery guns in August 2021.

The 2S35 self-propelled howitzer is designed to defeat armoured vehicles, tanks, tactical nuclear weapons, anti-tank weapons, artillery and mortar batteries, enemy manpower and equipment, facilities, air defence missile systems, as well as command and control centres.

2S35 Koalitsiya-SV design

The 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV is a successor to the 2S33 Msta-SM, an improved version of the 152mm 2S19 MSTA-S self-propelled howitzer. It can be mounted on tracked chassis such as T-72/90 tank and T-14 Armata main battle tank, as well as on 8×8 wheeled platforms.

The howitzer is operated by three crew members, notably the driver, gunner and commander. The driver is seated in the centre in the middle of the hull while the gunner and commander are seated on either side. Three hatches are provided for emergency exits of the crew. The all-welded steel hull offers protection from mines, small arms fire and shell splinters.

Features of the howitzer include warning receiver, night vision, microwave shell priming system, nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) protection system, and shock absorber.

Armament and self-protection

The primary weapon is a 152mm 2A88 cannon, equipped with a muzzle brake and a recoil system. The ammunition capacity of the self-propelled gun is 50 to 70 shells and the maximum firing range is approximately 70km. An automatic loader with a pneumatic rammer allows the cannon to fire up to eight rounds a minute.

The self-propelled gun can fire a variety of munitions such as high-explosive precision-guided munitions, jammer carrying projectiles, cluster projectiles with anti-tank submunitions, as well as standard and rocket-assisted high explosive-fragmentation (HE-FRAG) projectiles.

It can also fire 9K25 Krasnopol semi-automatic laser-guided projectile, which can reach up to 20km. The projectile has four movable control surfaces at the front and four foldable fixed fins at the rear.

A remote-controlled weapon system, armed with a 12.7mm Kord machine gun, is mounted on the top of the vehicle. Also equipped with smoke grenade dischargers, the turret offers self-defence against air and ground targets.

The export variant features a 155mm calibre self-propelled gun.

Artillery fire control system of 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV

The Koalitsiya-SV artillery system can fire autonomously or can be remotely operated using an integrated fire control system. The howitzer’s location and firing information are displayed on the command-and-control panel.

55t vehicle performance

The 55t vehicle is equipped with a torsion bar suspension system with six road wheels on either side. It is powered by a diesel engine, located at the rear of the hull. The running gear includes an idler in front, a drive sprocket at the rear, and five track-return rollers. The speed of the vehicle is 60km/h while its operational range is 500km.

The self-propelled howitzer provides high accuracy, rate of fire, and long-range capabilities during combat operations.