A video of a new version of the 2S9 Nona self-propelled 120-mm mortar appeared in open sources. The vehicle changed its chassis from the BTR-D landing vehicle to the BMP-1 or BRM-1K (a scouting vehicle based on the BMP).
The corresponding video spread on the network, although the place and time of filming are not disclosed. And the works that were carried out in Ukraine by one of the defense enterprises and the project itself, which received the name the 2S17-2 Nona-SV, were covered publicly.
Read more: Confirmed by Slovakia: Poland Agreed to Provide the MiG-29 Fighters to Ukraine
The photos of the self-propelled mortar were previously published, but at that time it was not clear whether this sample was created as one sample or a serial vehicle. Now it is possible to claim that this version of the vehicle is put into production due to the fact that 4-5 units got into one video at the same time.
It should also be noted that the chassis used for the mortar remains debatable. One of the features that allows distinguishing the BMP-1, BMP-2 and BRM-1K chassis in the side view is the number of embrasures on the side of the vehicle in the rear part of the body: three, two or one. At the same time, on the vehicle that was caught on camera the embrasure is either absent or covered by the regular place of the slotted tool. Apparently that during the conversion of the vehicle, the embrasures are generally welded.
Defense Express notes that for Ukraine’s military the question of the Nona chassis is important, since the BMP chassis is much more common than the BTR-D, which are almost not used in Ukraine.
Moreover, Ukraine’s military was strengthened with the 2S9 Nona trophies, and the number of these vehicles in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine could be based on the number of not only the guns themselves, but also on the number of serviceable chassis. In particular, after the collapse of the USSR, according to Military Balance, there were 85 units of the 2S9 Nona, and by 2021 there were only a few left.
Therefore, using a widespread chassis may mean an increase in the number of self-propelled mortars in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, this vehicle is a Soviet project of the early 80s. So, all issues related to the structural adaptation of the BMP chassis for the mortar had already been resolved then.
Read more: Ukraine’s Intelligence Says russia is Planning Provocation on Ukrainian-belarusian Border
