Test fires of Serbian army modernized 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer.

On May 15, Serbian Minister of Defense Aleksandar Vulin attended livre-fire tests of the modernized 122mm self-propelled howitzer 2S1 Gvozdika at the Pasuljanske Livade military complex.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

122mm self-propelled howitzer 2S1 Gvozdika (Picture source: Serbian MoD)

Serbian Minister Vulin pointed out that 2S1 Gvozdika is an artillery weapon which, according to the plans of some former ministers, should have been cut and removed from the Serbian Army: “As you can see, this is a great artillery tool, and with the modernization, we are currently working on, which you could see on this functional model, Gvozdika shows that it is extremely usable, very useful and will continue for a long, long time to serve in our Army”, Aleksandar Vulin emphasized.

According to him, its range has been increased, one of the most modern fire control systems has been installed, it is able to fire from a position after only 20 seconds of reaching the appropriate position. “It is much more comfortable for the crew itself, it has appropriate ballistic computers that are able to find and hit the target without counting and direct work of the soldiers. You have one modern and contemporary means that is incomparably cheaper than means of the same quality if they were imported” Minister Vulin pointed out.

What the Serbian Army was looking for was the modernization of the self-propelled howitzer Gvozdika. Previously adopted subsystems were applied to other weapons that were modernized and the required results were achieved: an increase of 38% in range with the use of two new types of artillery projectiles.

“Today, we tested shooting with four projectiles, and it is expected to achieve a simultaneous impact with six projectiles - which means that one weapon can replace an entire battery”, said Miloradovic who announced a very quick completion of this modernization and initial equipping of Serbian Army units by the end of the year. Lieutenant Colonel Predrag Puhača, from the Directorate for Development and Equipment, said “Today, we saw the technique of shooting "MRSI" that involves firing several projectiles from a weapon that all hit the same point at the same time”.

The 2S1 Gvozdika is a Russian-made 122mm self-propelled howitzer tracked armoured vehicle. The first prototype was ready in 1969. The 2S1 entered service with the Soviet Army in the early 1970s and was first seen in public at a Polish Army parade in 1974.

The 2S1 is armed with a modified version of the 2A31 cannon which is also fitted to the D-30 towed howitzer. The 122 mm cannon is fitted with a fume extractor and muzzle brake and is held in position, when traveling, by a lock on the hull glacis plate which is operated by remote control by the driver. The Gvosdika is compatible with all 122-mm munitions developed for the D-30 towed howitzer.