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russians Had 550 Giatsint-B and Only 250 Msta-B: This May Explain Their New Wheeled Self-Propelled Howitzer

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New russian wheeled self-propelled howitzer based on Giatsint-B,  December 2024  / Open source photo
New russian wheeled self-propelled howitzer based on Giatsint-B, December 2024 / Open source photo

The russians had 550 Giatsint-B howitzers and only 250 Msta-B howitzers, which may shed some light on the reasoning behind their new wheeled self-propelled howitzer design

russia has created an artillery hybrid, potentially driven by entirely rational motives.

According to The Military Balance 2024, at the beginning of last year, the russian army had 550 towed Giatsint-B howitzers and only 250 Msta-B howitzers in active service. For comparison, data from 2022 in the same reference book indicates that the russian army, either in active service or storage, had significantly more Giatsint-B howitzers than Msta-B —1,100 units compared to 750 units, respectively.

Read more: ​Ukraine Launched Largest and Most Effective Air Attack to Date

These figures not only illustrate the depletion rate of the russian army's towed artillery during the war against Ukraine but also hint at the logic behind their decision to create an artillery based on the Giatsint-B.

New russian Wheeled Self-Propelled Howitzer Based on Giatsint-B
New russian wheeled self-propelled howitzer based on Giatsint-B, January 2025 / Photo credit: SPJ Vodohrai

To elaborate, it is worth noting that, in late December 2024, reports emerged about the appearance of a new russian wheeled self-propelled artillery system. This system integrates the artillery component of the Giatsint-B with the Voshchina chassis from the modern 2S43 Malva. Initially, identifying the design features of this improvised artillery system was challenging due to the presence of protective grilles and "barbecue" armor.

Recently, however, a photo of this system, free from its "barbecue" armor and additional attachments, has surfaced in open sources, offering some insight into this piece of enemy artillery.

Despite this, the specific designation of the self-propelled artillery system remains unknown, as does its potential production scale. It is unclear whether this is a one-off prototype or if russia plans to commence mass production of such systems equipped with the Giatsint-B artillery component.

2S43 Malva 152mm self-propelled gun
2S43 Malva 152mm self-propelled gun / Open-source illustrative photo

This Frankenstein design may also reflect an attempt by the russians to rationalize their 2S43 Malva wheeled self-propelled artillery project. The existence of the Malva was first disclosed in 2019, well before russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

It is likely that the designers of the 2S43 Malva, who initially planned to use the Msta-B artillery component, assumed that a sufficient number of these howitzers could be sourced from storage. As of early 2022, the russians reportedly had approximately 600 Msta-B howitzers in reserve, making this assumption reasonable at the time.

However, as the war progressed and the russians began withdrawing 152-mm towed howitzers from storage, relying on the Msta-B as a component for the new wheeled self-propelled artillery system became less practical. Against this backdrop, the idea of "upgrading" the 2S43 Malva project to incorporate the Giatsint-B artillery component may have emerged.

Msta-B howitzers of the russian army
Msta-B howitzers of the russian army / Illustrative pre-war photo
Read more: ​Frankensteined: russians Stick Giatsint-B to a BAZ and Use It to Fire Krasnopol Smart Shells