Kadyrovites from the russian Akhmat Special Forces demonstrated their 122-mm D-30 howitzer at a prepared position. Interestingly, one of the systems was without wheels, raising questions about the reasoning behind this decision.
Due to the dominance of drones on the battlefield and the transition to positional warfare, the mobility of artillery has lost its advantage. At the same time, the popularity of covered firing points, which provide both protection and camouflage for soldiers, has increased.
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Moreover, when deployed in a stationary position, the D-30's wheels are lifted, rendering them inactive. At the same time, they are still vulnerable to shrapnel damage.
In other words, to reduce the potential damage from an impact, russian military simply removed the wheels. This practice can be observed on just one of the howitzers, with the other not featuring it.
The barrel is the key part of towed artillery, and damage to it will put the whole system out of action. At the same time, damage to other parts also causes serious difficulties for the crew, often requiring component replacement.
The loss of wheels will also affect any movement, significantly complicating any possible change of position or withdrawal. Although this is not critical at the moment due to the battlefield's stationary nature, the problem remains.
In general, increasing the survivability of artillery on the battlefield remains a serious issue, with a constant search for new solutions. Besides the stationary positions already noted, additional measures such as anti-drone nets and electronic warfare equipment are being added.
The D-30's maximum range of only 15.3 km with conventional shells makes it particularly vulnerable to a wide range of weapons, including FPV drones. So it is no surprise that the crew is taking all steps to limit potential problems.
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