Russia pushing for mass production of “Flok & Magnolia” self-propelled mortar systems, will this deter Ukrainian forces?

The newest Russian artillery complex in the Arctic, called “Magnolia”, has started mass production.

The development of Magnolia was first announced in 2017, with its technical details revealed at the end of 2019 when the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, army general Oleg Salyukov, said in an interview that Russia was completing the work on his experimental Nabrosok design, which would develop a family of highly mobile artillery and mortar armaments mounted on different types of chassis. Two years later, the state defense manufacturer Uralvagonzavod confirmed the schedule for the mass production of Russian next-generation artillery at the Army-2021 International Military-Technical Forum.

“Mass production of these models [the Floks and Magnolia artilleries] will begin after the completion of state trials in late 2022 – early 2023, provided that the state client makes the corresponding decision,” the Uralvagonzavod press office said.

During the forum, prototypes of the Magnolia were displayed alongside another recent Russian war machine, the Floks self-propelled wheeled artillery system. At that time, these two prototypes were in their final stages of preliminary testing.

According to the leaked technical specifications, Magnolia is a 120mm self-propelled artillery gun based on the DT-30PM two-section tracked armored chassis. The Central Research Institute Burevestnik developed its next-generation artillery gun under the Nabrosok experimental program. The machine can perform a variety of tasks – specializing in remote and harsh climatic conditions such as the wetlands of the Far North, the harsh Arctic environment and remote regions of Siberia.

Magnolia also includes a cannon mounted on a two-arm tracked all-terrain vehicle called DT-10PM Vityaz, which has a capacity of about 11 tons and weighs about 30 tons, and is powered by a B-46 5C diesel engine from 800 horsepower. , allowing the platform to reach top speeds of 45 km/h on land and up to 6 km/h when crossing water barriers, with a battery range of up to 700 km.

In addition, the rear hull of the artillery complex was equipped with a 120 mm 2A80 rifled semi-automatic gun, a gun with the combined power of a howitzer and mortar, and an overall design which allows its’ gunners to perform a circular horizontal pickup as well as raise the gun barrel at an angle ranging from minus five to 80 degrees. For specific assaults, it can house a Kitolov-2M precision-guided munition and is compatible with other Soviet/Russian-made munitions such as High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT), High Explosive Fragmentation (HE-FRAG) Munitions and smokers. .

According to reports, Magnolia’s cannon can fire high-explosive fragmentation projectiles up to 8.5 km away, and the range can be extended to 10 km when guided rockets are used. Thereafter, the rate of fire is ten rounds/min with an ammunition load of 80. In addition, the new artillery system would be capable of firing ammunition and anti-tank guided missiles and performing air defense and electronic warfare.

Magnolia will be commissioned into the Russian Navy’s Arctic Brigade next year along with the other next-generation artillery systems.

Some experts compare the Magnolia to another Russian artillery, the Russian Air Force’s 2S42 Lotos self-propelled mortar system, but with “much better cross-country capability” and have gone so far as to dub it the best self-propelled all-terrain mortar in the world – although it has not yet been tested in real combat.

However, will they be strong enough to eliminate the Ukrainian artillery provided by the United States?

Since the United States began sending military support to Ukrainian forces against the Russian invaders, it has only demoralized the latter as they continue to hamper their efforts to fully infiltrate its neighbor.

One of the pieces of artillery the United States has lent to the beleaguered nation on the battlefield is the M-777 155mm light howitzer, and it has been among the most effective weapons since the start of the Russian-Russian war. Ukrainian.

Andy Vermaut shares: The United States gave Ukraine 800,000 155mm artillery shells: Ukrainian troops fire an M777 on the front line in the Kharkiv region on July 21. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Business Insider: The United States gave Ukraine almost a million… https://t.co/R9xx5iNNh5 Thank you. pic.twitter.com/RwIgm5ceNR

—Andy Vermaut (@AndyVermaut) September 14, 2022

Read more : Russian journalist shoots down Ukrainian artillery on the Tyulpan self-propelled mortar he was reporting on

“Almost immediately after arriving in Ukraine in May, reports of M777 systems destroying Russian targets began to appear on social media,” Business Insider reported. Although she may have lost a good number of units, it’s just a little compared to the artillery losses of the Russian army coupled with the fact that the Ukrainian gunners were already exceptional at counter-battery fire . The “Triple Seven” has just boosted his skills to the maximum.

Using intelligence provided by the Special Operations Forces, the M777 operated by the Ukrainian National Guard destroyed three Russian MLRS Grad in the Severodonetsk region.
🔥🔥🔥
Images of 🇺🇦 Special Operations Forces pic.twitter.com/L7TYd9WMIL

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) June 13, 2022

Another powerful US-supplied weapon that Ukrainian troops have used remarkably well is the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) which has played a crucial role in claiming sovereignty in areas captured by Russia and defending of its territory and airspace.

Russian base destroyed by HIMARS in Balakliya pic.twitter.com/IrMW6qE6p0

— Malinda (@TreasChest) September 17, 2022

10 most impactful weapons
The United States provided Ukraine🇺🇦

1. 16 HIMARS
2. 8,500 javelins
3. HARM anti-radar missiles
4. 2,000 Excalibur Bullets
5. 1,400 darts
6. 126 M777 howitzers
7. More than 500 armored vehicles
8. 1,400 suicide drones
9. 50 counter artillery radars
10. Laser Guided Rockets pic.twitter.com/p2UXPggWCh

– Ukraine battle map (@ukraine_map) September 16, 2022

Although the self-propelled mortar system was originally developed to defend its Arctic region, some experts suggest it could be sent to Ukraine when completed to help with the invasion.

Now, whether or not the Russian Magnolia will tip the current tide of war, only time will tell. But one thing is certain: the aggressors need to produce a good number of their new generation arteries to dominate the battlefield against Ukraine and its Western allies.

What do you think? Will the Magnolia be a game-changer if sent to Ukraine? Let us know in the comments.