Russian state media highlighted the capabilities of one of the Kremlin’s most potent ground-based weapon systems on Wednesday, reporting that the Msta-S self-propelled gun was being efficiently employed in operations against Ukrainian forces.

“Russian artillery units precisely strike round-the-clock at hostile exposed objects, positions, fortifications, armor and troops. Rostec regularly ships the hardware in the framework of the arms procurement order,” a spokesperson from the state-owned military-industrial conglomerate Rostec told Tass.

The latest Msta-S has reportedly been equipped with the upgraded automatic guidance and fire control ASUNO-M system, which allows the gun to operate in a fire assault regime. A single platform can hit a target simultaneously with five shells, and then quickly be relocated to a new position.

“Msta-S is constantly upgraded according to the experience of the military operation, increases firepower, precision and other parameters,” the Rostec source added.

The self-propelled howitzer first saw combat in the Second Chechen War in the late 1990s.

The Big Gun in the Crosshairs

The Msta-S, which has earned comparisons to the U.S. military’s M777, is armed with a 152mm/L47 howitzer, which is similar in design to the gun employed on the 2A65 Msta-B towed howitzer. The gun is fitted with a semi-automatic loader and fume extractor. It can be loaded at any angle, while its maximum rate of fire is seven to eight rounds per minute.

The Msta-S is noted for being compatible with all standard 152mm projectiles used by the D-20 towed gun-howitzer as well as the 2S3 Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer. The L47 howitzer can also fire a wide range of munitions, including standard and rocket-assisted HE-FRAG projectiles, cluster projectiles with anti-tank submunitions, and jammer-carrying projectiles. It is further capable of firing Krasnopol precision-guided munitions.

A total of fifty rounds are carried inside the Msta-S.

The elevation of the L47 gun is from plus 68 degrees to minus 3 degrees with a 360-degree traverse. The improved 2S19M2 Msta-S has a reported range of up to 80 kilometers (50 miles). This artillery system also has a brief reaction time, while it can stop and fire its first round within one to two minutes after moving to a new location.

Mobile Protection

Secondary armament of the 2S19 Msta-S consists of a remotely controlled 12.7 mm machine gun mounted on top of the roof, which can be controlled by the vehicle’s commander. Additionally, three smoke grenade dischargers are mounted on each side of the turret.

On paper, the crew can take cover within the armored platform and be protected against small arms fire and artillery shell splinters. The welded steel armor on the hull and turret of the vehicle is also fitted with NBC protection and automatic fire suppression systems. It has a top speed of 60 km/h (37 mph).

Upgraded Models

The Kremlin has steadily updated the 2S19 Msta-S, and it operated around 750 of the systems just prior to its invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv’s forces have also captured a few dozen of the guns during the ongoing fighting.

In late 2021, Uraltransmash­part of the Uralvagonzavod defense manufacturer within the state tech corporation Rostec ­announced that it produced and delivered new 2S19M2 Msta-S self-propelled howitzers to the Russian military under a defense procurement plan.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].