Russia's Msta-S 'Monster Howitzer' Upgraded with Automatic Fire Control System

Russia’s Msta-S 152mm artillery system dubbed ‘Monster Howitzer’ due to its “excellent performance” in the ongoing war with Ukraine, has received an automated fire control system that further improves its  target detection speed and accuracy of fire.

On June 29, Rostec said it delivered the first batch of these upgraded howitzers to Russian troops. “The upgraded howitzer is furnished with an automatic guidance and fire control system that allows for delivering fire against targets round the clock and in any weather conditions," the state-owned company said in a statement.

The guidance and fire control system enables the weapon to autonomously determine coordinates and automatically gauge data for fire from sheltered firing positions and provide for a counter-fire maneuver. In addition, it automatically directs the gun and recovers after a shot. The automated loading process, the choice of the munition and the self-ejection reduce the load on the crew and provide for the fire rate of eight rounds per minute, using the munitions it carries.

All the supplied howitzers have undergone running and firing tests at a proving ground and a factory inspection before their delivery to the troops, Rostec Armaments, Ammunition and Special Chemistry Cluster Industrial Director Bekkhan Ozdoyev said.

"Now the howitzers have been loaded onto special automobile platforms and dispatched to permanent bases," he specified.

The 2S19 Msta-S is the self-propelled modification of the 152mm Soviet and Russian howitzer (the Msta-B as the towed version) designed to wipe out and suppress various types of enemy combat hardware and manpower, destroy its defensive sites and deny the maneuver of its infantry and tank reserves. Its export modification features the 155mm caliber.