Krasnopol 152-mm correctable artillery ammunition, designed to destroy armored targets and military installations, has been known since 1995, when it was adopted by the RF Armed Forces. It was successfully used during the military operation in Syria, and now – during the special operation in Ukraine. The accuracy of hitting is achieved by a semi-active laser homing head, which allows you to hit targets at a distance of up to 25 km.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense showed footage of the use of Krasnopol shells during the attack on a camouflaged command post in the Kyiv region in March. Another video showed that tanks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were effectively destroyed as they were about to launch a counterattack. In both cases, the crews of the 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled howitzers worked on the target with 152-mm shells, and the fire was fixed by the Orion-10 aircraft.
“It can be assumed that there are many more cases of combat use of Krasnopol shells, because one of their features is that various Russian 152-mm artillery systems can be used for firing. These include both the D-20 and 2A65 Msta-B towed howitzers, as well as the 2S3M Akatsiya, 2S19 Msta-S and Koalitsiya-SV self-propelled howitzers. All of them can use high-precision ammunition, only laser gunners need additional calculation.
The peculiarity of the upgraded version is that the algorithm is “stitched” into the shell. As a result, the Krasnopol bullet chooses its own target to its liking. If it sees not a tank, but a more promising target, for example, a radar station, it will react to it.
“The operator decides whether to activate such a mode,” said retired major general Valery Bondar, a military expert.
Military expert Alexander Zimovsky agrees with this view.
“Without the use of laser guidance, satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles, Krasnopol looks like an ordinary artillery shell that hits a target in the field of view or at the coordinates taken from reconnaissance. The command and observation point used “Kapustnik” has a limited range of laser target illumination for “Krasnopol”. Another thing, when a UAV works with it, the same Orion-10 is the Orion-10, which keeps the laser beam along which the projectile moves until the target is hit. Accurate shooting without zeroing is one of the main advantages of the Krasnopol complex, which provides high reliability of the shot, precisely target illumination What enables it is its compatibility with drones,” says Zimovsky.
The most effective distance for hitting small moving targets, including tanks, for Krasnopol is about 5-7 km. The projectile is also effective at a range of 16 km. Its main feature is the exceptional accuracy of hitting moving objects.
“During a counter-battery battle, approximately 900 conventional 152mm shells will be required to suppress the American M-109 self-propelled guns. Krasnopol will cope with this task using a maximum of 10 ammunition, ”adds General Bondar.
According to the experts of the main military-theoretical magazine of the Ministry of Defense “Military Thought”, the new guided artillery shells “Krasnopol-M2” can simultaneously hit two nearby targets with two volleys of guns. The effect is impressive – two shells simultaneously fall at a distance of not more than ten meters from each other.
“This is an extraordinary accuracy, which confirms the alleged characteristics of the modernized Krasnopol. The performance characteristics of the new sample are significantly superior to the previous one,” says Military Thought.
“Accuracy is achieved thanks to the Malachite automatic fire control complex. At the same time, each bullet works at its own frequency and does not interfere with the control of others. Despite the sufficient complexity of using this type of ammunition, the rate of fire can reach up to 8 rounds per minute and can provide massive fire at selected targets,” military expert Boris Dzherelievsky told socialbites.ca.
The complexity of using Krosnopol is not in its features, but in its price.
“The cost of one Krasnopol ammunition is estimated at 4 million rubles. But that’s three to four times less than the price of its American counterpart, the M712 Copperhead, or the US-Swedish M982 Excalibur. In any case, the use of such shells is an expensive pleasure,” he said.
General Bondar summed it up.
Source: Gazeta
