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The Magnolia SPG: Why russians Needed a 120mm Gun on a DT-30PM Arctic Tractor

Open-source photo
Open-source photo
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The purpose of creating this strange chimera is all the more interesting considering it has never been seen used in battles in Ukraine

One noteworthy piece of equipment in the russian army is the Magnolia self-propelled artillery system with a gun of 120mm caliber. Its main feature is the heavy chassis based on the tracked two-link tractor DT-30PM designed for traversing the Arctic. It entered mass production in 2022 but has never been seen in battle, particularly in Ukraine where such a vehicle could be used for fire support.

Recently, one of those got caught in a road accident instead. Videos shared on social networks show it barely avoided falling off a truck and rolling over in the city of Perm, some 1,500 km from combat action in Ukraine. The footage appears to be captured just a few days ago in January 2025.

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Let's briefly recall the publicly available combat specifications of Magnolia: the main armament is a 120-mm 2A80 howitzer-mortar gun, the firing range is 7 to 10 kilometers, the rate of fire is 8–10 rounds per minute, and transportable ammunition stock is 80 rounds. The total weight is unknown but the DT-30PM tractor on its own weighs 30 tons.

The turret of this artillery system has a notable visual resemblance to the one installed on the 2S31 Vena self-propelled gun. Venas were mainly sold to Azerbaijan but in late 2023 were suddenly spotted in the ranks of the russian invasion forces in Ukraine. Also, the 2A80 gun was initially used to equip 2S31 Vena, and only became Magnolia's weapon later.

2S31 Vena / Defense Express / The Magnolia SPG: Why russians Needed a 120mm Gun and on a DT-30PM Arctic Tractor
2S31 Vena / Open-source photo

Against this background, two assumptions can be made as to why russians never used their Magnolia SPGs in battles against Ukraine before, and what purpose this combat vehicle serves in general.

Firstly, since they already have the 2S31 Vena the russian military might have decided there's no need for another system with the same armament. Especially considering that the DT-30PM tractor isn't particularly widely used in the russian army, so they may encounter various problems trying to service the unconventional chassis in the field.

The second explanation is that despite all the costs and losses suffered in the war against Ukraine, the Kremlin still harbors ambitions to increase its military presence in the Arctic region. To leave the possibility open, russia may keep a certain portion of specialized equipment reserved for these missions, such as the Magnolia howitzers that were created specifically for operations in the Arctic.

Magnolia self-propelled guns in the russian armed forces / Defense Express / The Magnolia SPG: Why russians Needed a 120mm Gun and on a DT-30PM Arctic Tractor
Magnolia self-propelled guns in the russian armed forces / Open-source photo
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