Ukrainian military found a photo of an unusual vehicle on the web – the MT-LB auxiliary vehicle with a 2S9 "Nona" mortar soldered to it. They suppose russians just took what there was left in their repair depots and molded them together.
The common chassis for this vehicle is the 2S9, based on the BTR-D armored personnel carrier, stated on WeaponSystems. Compared to the MT-LB, it is a bit lesser in length: 6 m (BTR-D) vs. 6.5 m (MT-LB) and lighter: 8 vs. almost 10 tons because of the aluminum armor.
Read more: The Armed Forces of Ukraine Testing a Rare Trophy Russian 2B16 Nona-K Gun-Mortar
Basically, this "upgrade" to a 120mm 2S9 "Nona" self-propelled mortar dumps out the main quality it had – due to its lightweight design, it was air-droppable and thus used primarily by airborne units, according to Army Recognition. Moreover, the source of the photo noted this "hybrid" is now used by a motor rifle regiment of russian forces, namely an infantry unit.
This may hint at one of two possible conclusions: either infantry units lack artillery support, so they are fine with using a mortar with only 8.8 km of range as a self-propelled solution to add some firepower; or the repair bases they established in occupied territories lack proper vehicles to use them as chassis for the artillery systems.
Defense Express also previously analyzed what does it mean that russian armed forces take their MT-LBs from long-term storage to deploy in Ukraine.
Read more: Light Armor Doctrine in russia Should Be Put to Death After War in Ukraine
