The 2A36 Giatsint-B (; " Hyacinth") is a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

towed field gun which entered service in 1976, replacing the M-46 field gun. The 2A36 has the longest range of any Soviet or Russian 152 mm caliber artillery fielded since the mid-20th century, with a range of with rocket-assisted projectiles (RAP), while its only outranged by the 2S7 Pion with RAP rounds. While some guns were exported to

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, and

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

, most are in service with the former Soviet republics, including

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

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, and

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

and used in local conflicts.

Development

Development of the 2A36 started in December 1968 at the Perm Machine Works following a requirement from the

Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

for a weapon to replace the aging M-46 field gun. A towed and a self-propelled version (

2S5 Giatsint-S The 2S5 ''Giatsint-S'' () is a Soviet Union, Soviet 152 mm self-propelled gun. "2S5" is its GRAU designation. It has CBRN defense, nuclear, biological, and chemical protection. The 2S5 is capable of engaging targets at longer ranges and at a ...

) were developed. In early 1971 two prototypes of the 2A36 were built, with mass production starting in 1976, and in that same year Western intelligence designated the towed gun as the 152 mm gun M1976 until its correct Russian designation became known. It was first seen in public during a parade held in Moscow in May 1985.

Design

According to '' Janes'', the Giatsint-B primary role is

counter-battery fire Counter-battery fire (sometimes called counter-fire) is a battlefield tactic employed to defeat the enemy's indirect fire elements ( multiple rocket launchers, artillery and mortars), including their target acquisition, as well as their command ...

, while a Ukrainian source states that the gun is also designed to suppress and destroy enemy troops and equipment concentrated or on the move, as well demolishing strongholds. The 2A36 152 mm 49 caliber barrel is fitted with a multislotted

muzzle brake A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral (ported barrel) to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter re ...

weighing , while the recoil system features a buffer and a recuperator. The breech is a semi-automatic horizontal sliding-block, and a

hydropneumatic Hydropneumatic devices (or hydro-pneumatic devices) are systems that operate using water and gas. The devices are used in various applications. Description A hydropneumatic device is a tool that functions by using water and gas. ''Hydropneumati ...

loading assist system is also provided (which uses the energy from the recoil) with a chain-driven rammer for the projectile and the cased propellant charge. The 2A36 can be manually loaded in case of failure of the hydraulic rammer, but at the expense of a lower firing rate. According to Russia, the Giatsint-B can fire 6 shells per minute and that a battery can deliver almost one tonne of ammunition against a target in one minute. The gun is mounted on a conventional split trail carriage with a gun shield to provide the crew protection against shrapnel and shell fragments. The walking beam suspension gives the 2A36 improved off-road mobility and has a total of four rubber-tyred braked roadwheels. The gun is normally towed by a KrAZ-260 6×6 truck, but it can also be towed by the KrAZ-255B, Ural 4320 6×6 trucks, or tracked artillery tractors such as the AT-T, ATS-59, and the . The KrAZ-260 can tow the gun at a maximum speed of on-road, while the maximum speed is reduced to off-road. The 2A36 can fire a variety of separate-loading ammunition including high-explosive fragmentation (HE-FRAG) with a maximum range of , armour-piercing tracer (AP-T) for direct fire against tanks and other armoured vehicles, and

rocket-assisted projectile A rocket-assisted projectile (RAP) is a cannon, howitzer, Mortar (weapon), mortar, or recoilless rifle round incorporating a rocket motor for independent propulsion. This gives the projectile greater speed and range than a non-assisted Ballistics ...

s (RAP) rounds with a maximum range of . Other types of munitions the 2A36 can fire include smoke, concrete-piercing, and incendiary shells. According to the United States Marine Corps Intelligence, the 2A36 can also fire

chemical A chemical substance is a unique form of matter with constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Chemical substances may take the form of a single element or chemical compounds. If two or more chemical substances can be combin ...

nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics * Nuclear space *Nuclear ...

, and laser-guided Krasnopol shells. During tests, the gun successfully fired under temperatures ranging from . The ammunition used by the Giatsint-B is of a newer design and not interoperable with earlier 152 mm artillery systems including the

2S3 Akatsiya The SO-152 (Russian: СО-152), usually known by its Main Missile and Artillery Directorate, GRAU designation 2S3 (), is a Soviet Union, Soviet 152.4 mm self-propelled gun developed in 1968, as a response to the American 155 mm M109 how ...

. While the 2A36 Giatsint-B and 2S5 Giatsint-S have identical ballistics, they use different types of shells.

Operational history

The 2A36 was exported to

(locally designated as the 152 K-89) and

. According to the ''

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is an international institute based in Stockholm, Sweden. It was founded in 1966 and provides data, analysis and recommendations for armed conflict, military expenditure and arms trade a ...

'', at least six guns were exported to

in 1982. During the early 1990s, Russia offered it for export at around US$ 500,000−600,000 per system in an attempt of obtaning foreign currency and keep some production lines open, but according to

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

reports, there was no known exports of this weapon between 1992 and 2009. Most Iraqi guns were destroyed or captured during the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

in 1991. It was also used during the

Second Nagorno-Karabakh War The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, surrounding occupied territories. It was a major esca ...

in 2020. According to the

OSINT Open source intelligence (OSINT) is the collection and analysis of data gathered from open sources (overt sources and publicly available information) to produce actionable intelligence. OSINT is primarily used in national security, law enforceme ...

website ''

Oryx ''Oryx'' ( ) is a genus consisting of four large antelope species called oryxes. Their pelage is pale with contrasting dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight and annulated. The exception is the sci ...

'', the Armenians lost at least 15 guns, most of them were destroyed by

Bayraktar TB2 Bayraktar TB2 (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Standard-bearer TB2'') is a Medium-altitude long-endurance UAV, medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operati ...

drones. Although Russian forces largely made use of

self-propelled artillery Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...

during the

War in Donbas The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014), began in April 2014, when Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, Russian para ...

, they also made use of the towed Giatsint-B. Following the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

in 2022, Ukrainian forces have also used the Giatsint-B and the Finnish-supplied 152 K-89 as well. As of December 2024, Russia lost at least 53 guns while Ukraine lost 16, according to video and photographic evidence analyzed by ''Oryx''.

Operators

Current

* − 26 * − 49 * − 24 designated as the 152 K-89. Unknown number of guns donated to Ukraine * − 3 * − 20 * − 550 used by the Ground Forces, plus 50 used by the Naval Infantry, unknown number used by the Airborne Forces * − 6 * − 75 used by the Ground Forces, plus an unknown number used by the Naval Infantry * − 140

Former

* − Seized by Azerbaijan after the

2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh Between 19 and 20 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against the political status of Nagorno-Karabakh, self-declared breakaway state of Republic of Artsakh, Artsakh, a move seen as a violation of the 2020 Nago ...

* − 50 *

− 180 * − 180 * − 6 * – Passed on to successor states

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

EnemyForces.com 2A36 Giasint-B
{{SovArtyColdWar 152 mm artillery Field artillery of the Cold War Artillery of the Soviet Union Military equipment introduced in the 1970s