Russia’s defense industry is set to begin state trials of the 2S42 Lotos self-propelled 120 mm artillery gun, according to Alan Lushnikov, the head of the Kalashnikov Concern. The vehicle was recently showcased at the Patriot Park.
Alan Lushnikov noted that preliminary trials and troop testing have already been conducted. Based on the results, the developers received a comprehensive development plan from the customer.
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“The research and development projects that were initially launched must be completed. We plan to initiate state trials this year,” he stated.
The 2S42 Lotos system is an airborne amphibious self-propelled 120 mm artillery gun designed to replace the 2S9 Nona-S system in the Armed Forces of russia.
The vehicle was first unveiled in 2017 at the Army forum, and by 2018, a prototype was reportedly under construction. Initially, state trials were scheduled for 2019, with serial production anticipated to begin in 2020. However, these timelines have been repeatedly delayed, and by 2020, only acceptance tests had been conducted instead of starting serial production.
In 2022, russian state media reported that the vehicle was set to undergo factory tests, after which the Ministry of Defense would announce the timeline for state trials. Notably, in 2023, russian sources claimed that the Lotos system was already undergoing trials, though this is not the first time russia has overlooked developments regarding its own military equipment.
The Lotos system is based on the BMD-4M chassis, weighs 18 tons, and can reach speeds of up to 70 km/h on highways. It has a maximum range of 13 km and a firing rate of 6-8 rounds per minute.
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