The Russian military has recently taken delivery of the initial shipment of 2S43 Malva 152mm self-propelled artillery systems, mounted on a wheeled chassis. This development was reported by Russian media.
The state-owned Rostec corporation in Russia has formally handed over the first batch of these self-propelled howitzers to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. The wheeled artillery system successfully completed a two-year-long period of government testing in July of this year. Subsequently, in August, the First Deputy CEO of the Rostec corporation announced that, in response to a government directive, the production of these self-propelled guns was swiftly initiated.
2S43 Malva
According to reports, the development of the self-propelled guns began at the Burevestnik Central Research Institute during the 2010s as part of the Nabroskok R&D project. Testing of the vehicle commenced in 2020.
The 2S43 is equipped with a 2А64 152mm rifled gun featuring a 47-caliber barrel length. This gun design is also utilized in the construction of the Msta-S self-propelled artillery and its towed Msta-B variant.
When using conventional high-explosive explosive projectiles, the self-propelled artillery system can achieve a maximum firing range of 24.7 km, which can extend to about 29 km with the use of rocket-assisted shells.
Comparable weapons, such as the French Caesar self-propelled guns or the Ukrainian Bohdana ACS, have the capability to fire at distances of up to 40 kilometers due to their longer barrels.
The self-propelled gun’s open installation, without the addition of extra armor protection or a turret, contributes to its lighter weight. With a 30-round ammunition load, it weighs 32 tons, making it approximately 25% lighter than the tracked Msta-S.
