russia has reportedly modernized its A-222 Bereg 130mm coastal artillery system and delivered the first improved A-222M units to the Pacific Fleet, according to Army Recognition citing russian state media. The upgraded system now features a 152mm gun and is said to be compatible with Krasnopol precision-guided munitions, effectively doubling its range to 50 km.
While the reporters have framed this move as a strategic step to strengthen maritime defenses amid rising tensions in the Asia-Pacific, Defense Express would like to raise a more practical question: why did russia bother upgrading the Bereg at all, and was the investment worth the effort?
Read more: Dnieper River Flotilla of russia Will Get Rare A-222 Bereg Mobile Coastal Guns
The original A-222 Bereg system used a 130mm naval-derived gun, based on the AK-130 twin-barreled naval artillery found, for example, on cruisers like the sunken Moskva. The system had a firing range of 23 km, a rate of fire of 10–12 rounds per minute, and carried 40 shells — either high-explosive F-44 or anti-aircraft ZS-44.
The main problem with this gun was that despite weighing nearly 44 tons, it lacked armor. Combined with its limited firing range, these drawbacks made it hopelessly outdated for modern battlefields, particularly in the high-intensity war against Ukraine.
Only about 36 Bereg are known to be in russian forces, all reportedly under the command of russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Notably, no use of the system has been observed since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In that light, it makes sense that the upgraded A-222M versions would be allocated elsewhere, such as to the Pacific Fleet.
Another factor behind this modernization is logistical: as russians reactivated mothballed 130mm M-46 howitzers to alleviate some of the artillery shortage, ammunition for this rare caliber grew scarce.
They even had to dip into AK-130 naval ammunition stockpiles and created improvised hybrid systems to keep older guns firing. It’s likely that munitions originally intended for the Bereg were among those repurposed, leaving little for these obsolete systems to use.
A separate but crucial question concerns what specific gun was chosen to upgrade the system to a 152mm caliber. Logical candidates include the barrels used on Giatsint-B or Msta-B howitzers, already adapted for mobile platforms Giatsint-K and Malva, respectively.
Still, Defense Express cautions that delivery to the "Pacific Fleet" does not necessarily mean deployment in the Far East. Troops of that fleet have participated in the war on Ukraine before.
In fact, the upgraded A-222M could prove particularly useful in countering Ukrainian naval drone attacks by targeting small, fast-moving uncrewed boats with Krasnopol guided rounds in littoral zones.
Read more: Hybrid of an M-46 SPG and AK-130 Naval Gun Allegedly Made in russia (Analysis)
