Let's consider what the all-destroying artillery system of the reserve of the High Command is, which has no direct similarity in any army in the world.
Reasons for appearance
The experience of the Second World War confirmed the need for large-caliber artillery capable of destroying fortifications. But at the same time, it became obvious that the old models of heavy artillery could not meet the needs of modern dynamic combat operations. Therefore, even during the war, in the forty-fourth year, the Soviet government gave the task of developing a 240-mm mortar to the Kolomna Design Bureau.
The product received the M-240 index and entered service with the Soviet army in 1950. Unlike smaller caliber mortars, it was loaded with a 130-kilogram high-explosive fragmentation mine. The range of fire was eight kilometers. However, the type of towed mortar of this caliber for the modern Soviet army of the era of the Caribbean crisis began to appear obsolete. The self-propelled artillery mount "Tulip" was a new task for the designers of the Ural Transport Engineering Plant.
Platform
Urals were system integrators of the project, working in cooperation with many factories and design bureaus of the USSR. The artillery system itself, which they were to install on their own chassis, was created at the Perm Motovilikha Plants. Initially, it was supposed to use the SU-100 chassis, on which the artillery mount was mounted. "Tulip" turned out to be too heavy for such a platform and did not tolerate the huge recoil of the shot.
The Urals had to radically transform the original platform, creating an almost new car. But at the same time, the level of unification possessed by the self-propelled installation "Tulip" reached eighty percent in relation to the basic transport base. The car is driven by a diesel engine with a capacity of 520 horsepower, which allows it to accelerate to sixty kilometers per hour. A rotating turret equipped with a 7.62 mm machine gun is installed in the bow of the hull above the commander's workplace.
Crew and crew
The crew of the combat vehicle is five people, which demonstrates the serious attitude of the developers to the mechanization of the process of preparing weapons of such a large caliber for firing. Installation "Tulip" allows you to simultaneously transport the entire calculation and transportable ammunition. In addition to the gun commander and driver located in the forward compartment of the vehicle, it carries two operators and a gunner located in the fighting compartment. In transport position theyoccupy places next to the mechanized ammunition rack of the transportable ammunition. When the system is deployed to prepare for the opening of fire, crew members take their places according to the combat schedule.
240mm mortar
Developed based on the experience of creating and operating the M-240 towed mortar, the new system for the self-propelled chassis received the index 2B8. Initially, it was supposed to fire directly from the transport chassis. However, the terrifying recoil with a force of about five hundred tons and the shock wave of the shot, crushing the mounted fuel tanks, forced us to abandon such a decision. According to the adopted modified layout, the "Tulip" installation has two positions. In the transport mortar is located on a tracked chassis, and in the combat one it is located behind its stern, on a retractable base plate resting on the ground.
The transfer of the gun from traveling to combat position is carried out by a hydraulic system. The mortar is fed from an internal revolver ammunition rack, which can contain up to twenty high-explosive fragmentation mines or ten active-reactive mines.
Firing
Before opening fire, the vehicle is transferred from the transport position to the combat position. Installation "Tulip" with the help of hydraulic actuators tilts the mortar back, behind the back of the machine, and installs it on the base plate.
The mortar is loaded directly from the ammo rack of the vehicle or from the ground. When loading fromthe ammunition rack turns ninety degrees, the operator sets the charge from the side of the breech, after which the mortar is again brought to a position close to vertical. For ammunition supply from the ground, the calculation can use a winch to install 130- and 250-kilogram mines. After charging, the gun is guided manually along the horizontal angle. Vertical guidance is carried out using a hydraulic system. The high level of mechanization of the process of bringing to combat readiness, loading and guidance made it possible to achieve an outstanding rate of fire for a gun of this caliber. The Tulip launcher is capable of firing at a rate of one shot per minute.
Combat capabilities and ammunition
The combat effectiveness of the system is ensured by excellent mobility, ballistics, accuracy and the range of ammunition used. The basis of the ammunition load are high-explosive fragmentation mines weighing up to one hundred and thirty kilograms, which can fire at a range of up to ten kilometers. Also in the arsenal is an active-rocket projectile that allows you to hit targets at a distance of up to twenty kilometers. The power of these charges is colossal. They leave behind a funnel with a radius of ten meters and a depth of about six. Even heavy-type fortifications cannot resist them.
The "Tulip" missile launcher (photo can be seen in the article) can be used as a high-precision weapon when firing "Smelchak" guided projectiles. They are guided by the reflectedlaser beam to illuminate the target and make it possible to deliver accurate strikes to a depth of five to ten kilometers. Cluster and incendiary munitions can be used to destroy manpower and area targets. The napalm charge of the 2S4 "Tulip" installation covers one hectare of territory, turning it into a continuous lake of fire. In addition to traditional equipment, Tulip can also use nuclear weapons with a capacity of up to two kilotons of TNT.
Arrangement and serial production
The 2S4 self-propelled mortar entered service with the Soviet army in 1971, replacing the towed model of the 1955 model. In the mid-eighties, he underwent modernization, which increased his combat performance. The production of the product continued until 1988, and over the entire period of production, about six hundred cars were produced. The Soviet Union supplied a number of Tyulpan mortars to Iraq and Czechoslovakia. At the beginning of the 2000s, several samples were sent to Libya under an agreement with the Russian leadership.
Application in combat operations of the USSR
The 2S4 mortar mount for the first time passed its baptism of fire in Afghanistan as part of a limited contingent of Soviet troops. According to experts, up to one hundred and twenty weapons took part in the battles in this territory. According to the general opinion, it proved to be exceptionally successful in the difficult conditions of that war. The mountainous terrain greatly complicated the use of artillery,firing direct fire, and howitzers. Aviation also could not always strike at fortified points located in mountain caves or on slopes. The "Tulip" launcher showed the highest efficiency, destroying enemy positions in one or two shots, no matter how heavily equipped they were.
Use in modern wars
The experience of using a mortar in Afghanistan came in handy during the suppression of the resistance of terrorist and bandit formations in Chechnya. Similar conditions for conducting battles made it possible to quickly find a suitable way to destroy the mountain positions of terrorists. In addition to fighting in the field, the Tyulpan self-propelled mortar was used to storm settlements. The fortified bunkers of the bandits were fired from it during the preparations for the assault on Grozny.
Unfortunately, the combat biography of the 2S4 "Tulip" system also includes episodes of participation in the civil war in Ukraine. For the first time it was used by troops subordinate to the Kyiv regime during the storming of Semenovka in 2014. The exoticism and rarity of this type of weapon meant that the shell crater was not immediately identified and sparked heated discussions about the weapon that could cause damage of this magnitude. Opinions tended to suggest that the crater was left by a tactical ballistic missile. However, "Tulip" did it.
