Rosoboronexport Demos New 155mm Msta-S Howitzer to Middle East ‘Customers’

Rosoboronexport and UralVagonZavod (UVZ) today demonstrated the combat capabilities of the 155mm Msta-S self-propelled howitzer to Middle Eastern customers at the Staratel Proving Ground, Russsia.

“During the tests, the Msta-S showed excellent results in target engagement using an automated fire control and the Orlan-10E unmanned aerial reconnaissance system,” said Viktor Kladov, Director for International Cooperation and Regional Policy at Rostec, the parent company of Rosoboronexport and other Russian defence  entities.

The Msta-S uses a NATO standard 155mm gun and is designed to destroy artillery and mortar batteries, tank columns, command & control and reconnaissance posts.

Main competitors of the Msta-S include the Hanwha Land Systems K9 ‘Thunder,’ the BAE Systems’ Paladin M109A7 and the Chinese PLZ-52.

 “In terms of cost performance, it significantly outperforms competitors presented on the world market. In addition, it has characteristics comparable to those of similar howitzers, and surpasses them on a number of items. We are expecting the Msta-S will be of considerable interest to countries in the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region,” added Alexander Mikheev, Director General of Rosoboronexport.

The 155mm Msta-S self-propelled howitzer is equipped with an automatic laying and fire control system, a thermal imaging sight coupled with a laser rangefinder, observation devices, a muzzle velocity radar, loading mechanisms, mechanized charge stowage, mechanisms for feeding projectiles and charges from the ground, and a 12.7 mm machine gun mount.

It is also fitted with communications equipment, two filtration units, a self-contained power supply and air conditioning unit, electrical equipment, a hydraulic system and a gun loading control system. Satellite navigation equipment is used to locate the self-propelled howitzer in a given coordinate system. The fighting compartment meets all modern ergonomic requirements.