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Model 89 SPH

1989 COLD WAR SELF-PROPELLED ARTILLERY

History of Type 89 SPH

The Type 89 self-propelled howitzer is the Romanian variant of the former Soviet Cold War-era 2S1 Gvozdika ("Carnation") vehicle, introduced in 1972 (detailed elsewhere on this site). In fact, while the Romanian version is based on the 2S1, the Romanian version only uses the original gun and turret, the system is now mounted on the tracked hull of the Romanian MLI-84 infantry fighting vehicle - itself based on the Soviet BMP-1 Infantry fighting vehicle.

The Romanian version was introduced in 1989 to meet the local needs of the Romanian army, and development began sometime in the 1980s.

Overall, the Type 89 retains much of the look and general layout of the previous 2S1, although its BMP-1 base is clearly recognizable. The design has a flat profile and encourages a low profile on the horizon, with the hull showing well-raked glacis panels and vertical sides. The turret is placed at the rear of the vehicle, moving the power unit to the front right next to the driver (sitting front left). A standard operator consists of five people, including the driver, commander, gunner and two ammunition dealers.

The turret retains the low profile inherent in the 2S1 design and houses the main gun with associated mounting hardware and recoil mechanism. The gun is fitted with a double-baffle muzzle brake and has a smoke exhaust port in the middle part of its length.

The pivot support structure above the forward tilt plate allows the barrel to be clamped to the hull for protection during transport. The vehicle's landing gear consists of seven wheels on one side of the fuselage, connected to the front drive sprocket, rear track idler and three track idlers.

Side armor skirts are not used in the design.

The main weapon is the Soviet 122mm 2A31 howitzer, which provides indirect fire to enemy positions. The weapon is capable of firing various types of ammunition, including standard high-explosive (HE) projectiles. Conventional projectiles have a maximum range of up to 9.5 miles, while rocket-assisted projectiles can increase the range by nearly 6 miles.

Muzzle velocity is rated at 2,200 feet per second, and a rate of fire of 5 rounds per minute can be achieved - although sustained fire is closer to 1 to 2 rounds per minute to prevent overheating and barrel wear. The turret allows the rifle group to rotate 360 ??degrees, allowing it to engage the target area. The elevation range is between +70 degrees and -3 degrees. The weapon is loaded through a horizontally sliding wedge-shaped breech using semi-automatic actions, each requiring a projectile combined with a separate clip-on charge.

The ship carried some 40 x 122mm shells, but no machine guns were installed for local defense.

The chassis is powered by a local Romanian 1240 V8 DT-S supercharged diesel engine producing up to 360 hp. Road speeds of up to 65 km/h and a range of up to 500 km.

Like most armoured fighting vehicles of Soviet origin, the Type 89 is inherently amphibious, propelled by two water jets located at the bottom of the hull (the 2S1 is tracked).

As of 2005, approximately 48 Type 89s are said to have been placed in reserve.