Russia has announced it will increase production of its Krasnopol-M2 152 mmlaser-guided artillery munitions and improve the round’s poor weather performance. Russian artillery has already achieved success with Krasnopol, often using it to accurately target individual Ukrainian vehicles. Russia’s defense industry has been failing to make enough conventional munitions. The planned increase in Krasnopol manufacturing is likely an attempt to use production capacity more efficiently, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
Russia utilizes unmanned aerial vehicles to designate targets for Krasnopol, by shining a laser beam at the target. However, low cloud has been the key limiting factor in the round’s performance because its laser detector does not have time to spot the laser energy and manoeuvre for striking.
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Russian industry will likely attempt to improve Krasnopol’s flight performance and reduce the round’s laser detection time. As winter weather closes in, it is likely that russia’s access to improved precision munitions will be one of the key factors in its operational performance in Ukraine.
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