Thread by @CalamineW

(1/24) Today, let's talk about Giatsint-S.

(2/24) Giatsint's genesis can be traced back to the 2nd Taiwan Strait crisis, when PLA M-46s dueled with ROCA 240 mm M1 howitzers based on the Kinmen and Matsu islands.

(3/24) According to Shirokorad, the PLA and their Soviet advisors were not able to safely hit the ROCA batteries without resorting to full-charge ammunition and a tailwind. Furthermore, the American M107 SPG was also beginning to enter service around the same time.

(4/24) Soviet long-range artillery development had stagnated under Khrushchev, so in 1968, work began on a new 152 mm gun to replace the M-46: project Giatsint. Motovilikha would develop the barrel and towed gun (B), while Uraltransmash would work on the SPG (S) chassis.

(5/24) The Giatsint-S' 2A37 gun is ballistically identical to the towed 2A36 Giatsint-B. Its primary distinctive features are the very long (50 calibres) barrel and the multi-slot muzzle brake, which absorbs 53% of the ferocious recoil. Max elevation is 58°.

(6/24) The standard shell is the 46 kg 3OF29 Bekas HE-Frag. Giatsint is capable of firing it at full charge with a muzzle velocity of 945 m/s out to 28.5 km.
https://t.co/zgOcnsB6Ytsoviet-ammo.ucoz.ru/index/152_of29…

(7/24) There are also the extended-range 3OF59 Khrebet with a better aerodynamic shape (~30 km) and rocket-assisted 3OF30 Baklan (33 km) projectiles.
https://t.co/qr22fNfzqHsoviet-ammo.ucoz.ru/index/152_of30…

(8/24) There is a range of other projectiles that can be fired by the Giatsint, including the laser-guided Krasnopol (uncommon due to lower 20 km range) and nuclear shells with such innocuous names like Romashka ('Chamomile') or Matya ('Mint').

(9/24) The Giatsint-S chassis has an interesting history, going back as far as 1948 when Uraltransmash developed the Object 105. Some of you may know it better as the SU-100P.

(10/24) While the SU-100P would not be adopted for service, the chassis it was based on would see widespread use. In modified form, it is used for not only the Giatsint-S but also the 2S3 Akatsiya and 2S4 Tyulpan SPGs, as well as many other purposes.

(11/24) The Giatsint chassis (GBTU index: 307) itself is fairly conventional, with torsion bar suspension, powered by a 520 hp V-59 V-12 engine. The transmission has 6 forward (60 kph) and 2 reverse (14 kph) speeds.

(12/24) The crew of 5 can all be seated inside the vehicle, but the gunner must exit the vehicle in order to operate the gun. He has a small shield to provide some protection.

(13/24) The Giatsint-S can carry 30 rounds internally. These are mounted on a conveyor inside the vehicle.
https://t.co/9nSFUh0X5xdzen.ru/a/XrvDV2XQfycf…

(14/24) In order to fire, the Giatsint-S must first deploy into combat configuration with its hydraulic spade lowered, and the gun crew exits the vehicle. Entering combat configuration from traveling or vice versa is suppose to take 3 minutes max.
https://t.co/sEB85wEbnTflibusta-club.translate.goog/b/497805/read?…

(15/24) It is fitted with a lifting mechanism and rammer to ease loading.

(16/24) You can see it in action here:

(17/24) Manual loading is also possible, if slower and more tiring.

(18/24) For self-defence, the commander's cupola can mount a single PKT machine gun. There is also provision for a Strela-2/Igla and an RPG-7 inside the vehicle for the crew, if they are feeling lucky.

(19/24) Russia is the primary user of the Giatsint-S. While it is quite outdated now that NATO is transitioning has 155 mm L/52 pieces with superior range fire control, it's still one of the longest range Russian artillery pieces, other than the Pion, thus fairly valuable.

(20/24) They're still being used by some artillery brigades, such as the 165th seen here, and the use of UAS (drone) spotting significantly increases their effectiveness.

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm…

(21/24) Ukraine inherited a grand total of 24 Giatsint-S's from the USSR. They were used exclusively by the 26th Artillery Brigade prior to 2022. At least two were lost during the Donbas War.
https://t.co/FEgdfvNUiifraza.com/analytics/2881…

(22/24) The main problem for Ukraine is that they do not produce the ammunition (which is incompatible with other 152 mm guns) or the barrels, thus they eventually wore out the Giatsint-S's, and relatively few were still in use by 2022.

(23/24) However, the Russians were 'kind' enough to leave some behind for the Ukrainians, particularly after the Kharkiv debacle in 2022, and the Ukrainians are more than happy to use them.

(24/24) Overall, while it's old, I think both sides are more than happy to keep using the Giatsint-S as long as they are able to. It has a pretty long range and a respectable punch.