The Russian military's 2S4 Tyulpan self-propelled mortar can destroy enemy targets hidden in concrete shelters, with its shells leaving craters several metres deep, according to the Russian Ministry of Defence newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda.
A crew commander with the "Vostok" group of forces, identified only by the call sign Cherny, told the newspaper that his unit fires two types of shells from the mortar. A 130-kilogram round can hit targets up to nine kilometres away, while a heavier, 230-kilogram rocket-assisted shell has a range of up to 20 kilometres.
What is the 2S4 Tyulpan
The 2S4 Tyulpan, whose name means "tulip" in Russian, is a tracked, self-propelled mortar with a 240-millimetre calibre, making it one of the largest mortars in active military use anywhere in the world. Its heavy shells are designed to destroy fortified positions, bunkers and other hardened targets that lighter artillery cannot penetrate.
The system entered Soviet service in the 1970s and has previously been used in the Soviet war in Afghanistan and both wars in Chechnya, where its shells were deployed against fortified positions and mountain strongholds. Krasnaya Zvezda is the official newspaper of the Russian Ministry of Defence and regularly publishes accounts from soldiers describing the weapons systems used by Russian forces. The Vostok grouping is one of several Russian troop formations fighting in Ukraine, alongside groupings named Zapad, Yug and Tsentr.
Why the mortar is used over other guns
Cherny said the Tyulpan is deployed in situations where the 152-millimetre Giatsint gun, a Soviet-designed artillery system, does not have enough power to reach entrenched enemy positions. He said the mortar's shells are able to reach opponents sheltering in various types of fortifications, adding that even after a strike, a crater up to three metres deep remains.
Other artillery upgrades reported
Krasnaya Zvezda reported in August on the Malva, a wheeled artillery system that the newspaper said allows crews to quickly take up firing positions to strike targets. The Malva is a newer Russian self-propelled howitzer that mounts a 152-millimetre gun on a truck chassis rather than tracks, giving it greater mobility than tracked systems like the Tyulpan. The four-axle vehicle can reach speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour, according to that report.
