The 2S4 Tulip launcher is built around a 240 mm steel tube mounted on a broad metal plate and carried by a modified SPTP SU-100P tracked chassis. For firing, a heavy plate sits on the ground, a mine is placed inside the bore, and a propellant charge is detonated to launch the projectile along a ballistic arc toward the target.
Depending on the ammunition, the effective range spans from 0.8 to 20 kilometers. The Tulip system includes active reactive mines as well as unguided high explosive mines. Individual mine weights vary from roughly 130 to 228 kilograms. In theory, there was consideration of a tactical nuclear mine with a yield around two kilotons of TNT, but such a configuration was never fielded and these nuclear mines are not in service today.
History records Tulip deployments in Afghanistan during the 1980s, where the mortars were used to neutralize militant firing points inside caves and rubble. The Tyulpan self-propelled mortars saw repeated use by Russian forces during the second Chechen campaign, including the Grozny operation of 1999–2000, with aims to disrupt fortified positions and bunkers held by militants.
Despite its straightforward design, the Tulip mortar is regarded as one of the most potent weapons in the Russian arsenal. It sits in the category of high command reserves and is described as a unique system with no direct equivalents. It is among the largest and heaviest mortars in service, reserved for special scenarios.
Military analysts cited by several outlets note that the Tulips are intended to destroy points that resist direct hits from conventional weapons, especially fortified or terrain-protected targets. The system is praised for its potential accuracy that rivals air-delivered ordnance, while offering a significantly lower cost per shot compared with missiles or air-dropped bombs.
Officials have described these weapons as valuable when fortifications must be breached with substantial, concentrated damage. The cost advantage over other heavy firepower is frequently highlighted by experts who compare Tulips favorably to alternative high-cost munitions.
Retired professionals connected with defense commentary have emphasized Tulip’s precision and destructive potential. They note improvements such as a modernized firing charger that eliminates the need for manual handling of large mines. As with any artillery asset, the best results come when operators coordinate with reconnaissance assets to identify precise coordinates for the targeted point and then execute the strike with calculated timing.
In contemporary operations, the 2S4 Tyulpan is described as functioning in close cooperation with aerial drones. Reconnaissance platforms provide target data and firing guidance, which can be integrated into a calculation system to deliver accurate final coordinates for the munition. The ability of drones to reduce target uncertainty has been highlighted by analysts as enhancing the effectiveness of the system in real-world conditions.
When crews manage to bring the weapon within the optimal range while maintaining safe distances, the system achieves peak efficiency. The Tyulpan is portrayed as exceptionally capable for breaching fortified lines and delivering concentrated damage to fortifications that resist standard artillery and conventional munitions.
Notes attached to the historical record indicate the association with certain irregular formations identified in past conflicts, underscoring the complex political and security contexts in which such weapons have operated.