Beginning in the late 1960s, Soviet engineers began to design and develop a new 152mm rifled field gun. After the necessary trials in the early 1970s, the gun entered service in 1975, designated 2A36 "Giatsint-B".
Today she remains an active member of several operators including Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Finland (known as "152 K 89"), Georgia, Moldova, Iraq, Lebanon and Uzbekistan. The 2A36 was produced by the Perm Automobile Works SKV from 1975 to 1989, and the same weapons also formed the main armament of the 2S5 "Giatsint-S" self-propelled gun (SPG) platform.
The 2A36 is largely a conventional towed artillery design. It has a four-wheeled rubber tire carriage that can be used to transport large weapons in a mobile cart. The carriage also has a split track arrangement that doubles as a recoil "leg" when the gun is in place (for firing).
The rifled barrel is machined from one piece and has a multi-slotted muzzle brake at its breech end and an integral recoil mechanism at the base of the base. The weapon uses semi-automatic breech blocking action during loading/reloading and hydraulic power at altitudes from -2 to +57 degrees for direct and indirect fire as needed. The lateral limit is -25 to +25 degrees on either side. As a system, the 2A36 weighs 21,500 pounds and fires 40 feet long.
The cart is 7 feet 8 inches wide.
The 2A36 fires 152.4mm bullets (loads loaded individually) and can use a variety of projectile types including conventional HE (High Explosive), Anti-Tank (AT), Nuclear, Submunition and Rocket. Auxiliary housings can significantly increase the actual effective range.
The shells exit the muzzle at 3,100 feet per second, and conventional ammunition has a range of up to 19 miles. Rocket-assisted projectiles have a range of up to 25 miles. The artillery relied on an eight-man task force consisting of a squad leader, ammunition officer and gunner.
Despite their Cold War heritage, 2A36 operators have been pursuing a modernization program to keep their guns operating on today's battlefield. Added features include digital support and satellite positioning for improved accuracy over long distances.
- fire support/attack/damage
40.35 ft (12.3 m)
7.68 ft (2.34 m)
2.76m
11 tons (9,750 kg; 21,495 lb)
19 miles (31 km)
for everyone else in our database)
1 x 152 mm main barrel
Depends on the ammunition carrier.
2A36 "Giatsint-B" - Base series name
152K89 - Finnish army name