New Russian artillery system detected in combat area
Earlier this fall, the Russian military acquired their first self-propelled howitzers of the 2S43 Malwa type. Recently, a reconnaissance drone spotted this new artillery system near the Ukrainian border. This weapon is a significant innovation for Moscow's army.
As reported by the pro-Ukrainian news outlet Militarnyi, a drone captured footage of the recently introduced tracked artillery system, type 2S43 Malwa, near the Russian border region of Belgorod - an area that has been used as a launching pad for attacks on Kharkiv. There's also been a video circulating on the internet showing a close-range operation of a 2S43 Malwa, though it's unclear if it's the same example. The video is said to have been recorded at the Kharkiv front.
This 152-millimeter self-propelled howitzer is manufactured by Uraltransmash, a defense company under the state-owned Rostec conglomerate. The development process started in the 2010s. Based on "Kommersant" reports, the Russian army received their first batch of these guns in October 2023, wrapping up a three-year testing period. It's unknown how many of these howitzers have been produced and delivered.
The 2S43 Malwa features a 152-millimeter howitzer mounted on a chassis, with a gun barrel shared with the tracked artillery howitzer Msta-S. The maximum range is specified as 29 kilometers, which is shorter than other wheeled self-propelled howitzers like the Ukrainian 2S22 Bohdana (maximum range of 50 kilometers) or the French Caesar (reaching up to 70 kilometers with precision-guided ammunition).
For Russia's military, which predominantly uses tracked self-propelled howitzers, the 2S43 Malwa marks a significant departure from tradition. The US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) previously cited a Russian war propagandist in May 2023, who emphasized the importance of introducing the self-propelled howitzer into their arsenal because, as they claimed, "the Russian military has no self-propelled artillery with wheels." In comparison to tracked self-propelled howitzers, wheeled vehicles are generally more cost-effective to produce and maintain, and they have a higher speed and range - both crucial advantages in modern artillery confrontations.
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The introduction of the 2S43 Malwa self-propelled howitzer to Russia's military has raised concerns, as footage of this weapon was detected near the Russian border region of Belgorod, which has been used as a launching pad for attacks on Kharkiv in Ukraine. The Russian military's acquisition and deployment of new artillery systems like the 2S43 Malwa could potentially escalate tensions and lead to a military attack on Ukraine.
