The "Tulip" mortar, like many other heavy artillery weapons, has recently attracted increased attention to itself. In the light of recent events, any weapon has begun to interest even those who in the past associated the words "tulip", "peony" and "hyacinth" exclusively with flower beds. Today, these terms mostly refer to that which sows death and destruction around itself. "Bouquet-weather" names, so loved by the domestic military industry, today cause real horror, especially among those who are trying to survive in the very epicenter of the war. And people's fears and fears are not at all in vain - the self-propelled mortar "Tulip", of course, does not apply to weapons of mass destruction. However, the consequences of one hit from it are quite devastating.
Appointment of self-propelled guns "Tulip" and use in combat operations
Self-propelled mortar 2S4 "Tulip" can use various, including nuclear weapons. He isa powerful weapon with tremendous destructive power. The 2S4 Tyulpan mortar is primarily designed to destroy enemy fortifications, field engineering structures, fortified buildings, shelters with manpower and equipment, checkpoints and command posts, artillery batteries. This weapon is intended for combat operations outside settlements. For flat artillery fire, the Tyulpan mortar can also be used, the characteristics of which allow hitting targets located several kilometers from the starting positions.
History of Creation
A few words should also be said about this. The 240 mm Tyulpan mortar was supposed to replace the towed 240 mm M-240 mortar, produced in 1950. The ballistic characteristics of these guns are approximately the same. However, the 2S4 outperforms the M-240 in combat survivability and firing efficiency due to improved maneuverability and maneuverability. In addition, it takes much less time than its predecessor to open fire and withdraw from firing positions.
A prototype of the new 240-mm mortar was developed in the North Caucasus in 1944-1945. The project was led by B. I. Shavyrin. Testing of the new gun began 2 years after the Victory and lasted until 1949. In 1950, the mortar was put into service with the army. In those days, it was called "240-mm mortar M-240". Its maximum aiming range was declared to be 8,000 meters.
In 1953 for the mortar M-240 wasa special charge was designed to increase the firing range to 9700 m. Serial production of the M-240 began in 1951 in the city of Yurga. A total of 329 units of this brand were produced. The M-240 240 mm mortar is a rigid system without recoil devices, breech-loading, wheeled and firing feathered mines.
Imaginary uselessness
The first difficulties in the development and production of a new self-propelled mortar did not begin at all because of any of its shortcomings, funding difficulties or a lack of specialists. In fact, Khrushchev's unwavering conviction that projectile-firing artillery was a thing of the past was the real test. The attempts of the environment to influence the opinion of the First Secretary of the Central Committee were unsuccessful. The development of all large-caliber guns firing charges was suspended. Moreover, the accumulated materials for modernization were simply abandoned and lost. Production and further improvement of the M-240 ceased in 1958.
A new hope
The new leadership of the country, who replaced Khrushchev, fortunately, managed to assess the situation more adequately. The weapons that they did not have time to abandon and finally destroy, to put it mildly, were depressing. Models of equipment from the time of the war, not only became physically unusable, but also morally obsolete so much that they could not stand any comparison with foreign-made counterparts. And competitiveness in those days played a significant role. deployed in Vietnamfighting, the Americans increased their power, investing huge amounts of money and effort in military development. The Cold War was just around the corner…
All this led to a decision of the Central Committee on the development and creation of completely new self-propelled artillery systems. The deadly "bouquet" was assembled thanks to several military factories. The Kharkov tractor-tank plant launched the production of 2S2 Gvozdika (caliber 122 mm), the production of 122-mm Violets started in Volgograd, the factories of the Urals started immediately on two self-propelled guns - the 152-mm howitzer "Akatsiya" and the 240-mm mortar 2S4 "Tulip" ".
Routine work and first test
Yuriy Tomashov headed the development. Even at the first stages of work, the team headed by him realized how many difficulties they would face. However, this did not frighten the team of military engineers, and the most eloquent evidence of this is the huge number of copyright patents obtained during the development.
The professionalism of the staff, the full dedication of the masters of all levels made it possible to avoid many problems. However, considerable difficulties arose when working on the Tulip Mortar project. First of all, this affected the chassis. It was originally planned to equip the mortar with a caterpillar system, but its carrying capacity turned out to be too small. The weight that it had to carry on itself reached 27 tons, and its capabilities were only enough for 21. Subsequently, together with specialists from the national defense cooperationcomplex, it was decided to equip the self-propelled mortar "Tulip" with an engine of 520 liters. with. (instead of 400). The undercarriage was developed on the basis of the Krug RK launcher tractor. The team of Y. Tomashov had to significantly modify and modernize the system, but in general, the cooperation turned out to be fruitful.
Another difficulty arose during the first field trials. The system simply could not withstand its own impact. The blow turned out to be so strong that I had to abandon the idea that the frame would take the return. Only the earth could do this. Therefore, the engineers had to urgently take up the design of a special unit that brings the barrel into a combat position.
After the upgrade, the "Tulip" mortar was tested for the second time. He completely smashed the reinforced concrete pillbox, proving his effectiveness. In 1969, the Tulip self-propelled guns were put into production, and in 1971 they were officially put into service.
"Daredevil" and his "brothers"
What does the "Tulip" mortar shoot with? The characteristics of the system allow the use of several types of projectiles. 53-F-864 high-explosive fragmentation mines are placed in the front and rear parts of the drum, and ARM-0-ZVF2 active-rocket projectiles are installed along the entire length. Ammunition with a rocket booster can be used, their flight range reaches 20 km. It is noteworthy that for a long time even the appearance of such a mine, called the "Daredevil", wasclassified. Self-propelled mortar 2S4 "Tulip" has armor-piercing, nuclear and laser-guided shells in its arsenal. Cluster "Nerpas" and incendiary "Saida" are also suitable for firing from "Tulip".
Analogues and alternatives
As for analogues, first of all it is worth noting that the heaviest artillery adopted in most countries of the world reaches a caliber of 150 mm. Mortar "Tulip" today is one of the heaviest. Therefore, when it comes to an alternative to this destructive weapon, it is more appropriate to talk not so much about cannon artillery, but about multiple launch rocket systems and even attack aircraft. "Tulip" is inferior to various MLRS except in the firing range, while significantly overtaking them in terms of rate of fire and maneuvering characteristics. In addition, "Hurricanes" and "Grads" are, as they say, blind, while shells fired from the "Tulip" can be controlled remotely.
Participation in world wars
The military operations in Afghanistan became the first serious test. The 240-mm self-propelled mortar "Tulip" proved to be "excellent" in mountainous terrain. 120 self-propelled guns took part in the Afghan war, mainly using high-explosive fragmentation mines and "Smelchak" guided projectiles.
Tulip was also used in both Chechen wars. After the very firstShot Dudayev accused the Russian side of dropping a nuclear bomb. In fact, the destruction was caused by a single mine.
Today, the Tyulpan mortar has been spotted more than once in the Donbass. According to field commanders, the NAF forces have 2 Tyulpan mortars at their disposal, both of them were taken in battles.
Today the Tyulpan mortar is out of production, but not out of service.
