Russia demonstrates 2S19 MSTA-S 155mm self-propelled howitzer to Mideast customers

Russian State Company Rosoboronexport arms trader and Uralvagonzavod (UVZ) for the first time demonstrated combat capabilities of the 155mm self-propelled howitzer 2S19 MSTA-S artillery gun. The demonstration for Mideast customers was held at a range of Staratel in Nizhny Tagil, Rosoboronexport said.

2S19 MSTA-S 155mm self-propelled howitzer. (Picture source Army Recognition)

MSTA-S hit all targets and fulfilled the planned maneuvers. The gun of 155mm caliber used by NATO countries was designed to destroy artillery and mortar batteries, tank columns, command and reconnaissance posts.

“The gun has powerful artillery arms and running characteristics on a par with modern armor. It is equipped with advanced communication means, satellite navigation and a monitoring system. Trials of Msta-S displayed excellent target hit due to automatic fire control and Orlan-10E reconnaissance drone. I am sure our Mideast partners could see the advantages of the Russian combat hardware,” Rostec Director for international cooperation Viktor Kladov said.

MSTA-S can destroy fortifications, field dumps, troops and weapons in deployment places, air and missile defense and electronic warfare. It can strike at sea targets in the firing range.

“The Russian 155mm Msta-S self-propelled gun produced by Uraltransmash occupies a worthy place among artillery weapons of the most widely used caliber in the world. It exceeds competitors by price-efficiency ratio and has similar characteristics or surpasses them in several parameters. We hope it will trigger major interest in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Pacific Rim,” Rosoboronexport CEO Alexander Mikheev said.

MSTA-S is equipped with automatic fire control, heat-imaging night sight with a laser ranger, monitoring devices, artillery ballistic station, charging mechanism, shell supply mechanism, 12.7mm machinegun. It has communication means, two ventilation filters, autonomous power source and air conditioning, and charging control system. Satellite navigation determines the location of the gun. The combat compartment meets all modern ergonomic requirements.

“Our partners praised the combat capabilities of the new gun which displayed excellent results. It fired with automatic aiming restoration. Field trials confirmed the reliability and effectiveness of the Russian gun and the declared characteristics,” UVZ CEO Alexander Potapov said.