Transnistria unveils Pribor-2 new MLRS Multiple Rocket Launcher System.

As written by Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans in Oryx, Transnistria, officially named the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is a breakaway state in Eastern Europe that has remained in the shadows ever since its self-proclaimed independence as a Soviet republic in 1990 and subsequent breakaway from Moldova in 1992.
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Pribor-2 MLRS on KAMAZ-4310 chassis (Picture source: Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans in Oryx)

Currently only recognized by Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Artsakh, themselves also unrecognized republics, Transnistria is situated in between Moldova and Ukraine. Despite having ended armed conflict in 1992, the situation in Transnistria remains extremely complicated, with the breakaway state wishing to join the Russian Federation while continuing to remain heavily reliant on Moldova for exporting the limited produce its economy outputs, Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans comment. Russia still maintains a limited presence in Transnistria, its soldiers officially on a peacekeeping mission. Despite its disputed status as a true country, Transnistria functions as a de-facto state with its own army, air arm and even its own arms industry.

When Transnistria took over most of the weapon storage depots on the territory it controlled from 1991, it inherited large amounts of highly specialized vehicles while being left without any significant numbers of infantry fighting vehicles or self-propelled artillery. Transnistrian army relies on an arsenal of towed anti-aircraft, anti-tank guns and 122mm MRLs (The 'Pribor-1') for indirect fire support.

Opposed to the Pribor-1's 20 launching tubes, the Pribor-2 can fire no less than 48 122mm rockets in one salvo, which considering the Pribor-1's obvious downgrade from the BM-21 Grad might indicate the Transnistrians are capable of producing their own launching tubes. Based on a commercially available KAMAZ-4310, the Pribor-2 stands out compared to other MRL designs in that its launch tubes are installed backward and its interesting arrangement of 4x12 122mm rockets. Although the number of Pribor-2s currently available to Transnistria remains unknown, continued production might eventually allow its army to supplement or even replace the older and less capable Pribor-1, Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans assume.