One of the Kalashnikov Group’s most significant projects for modernizing the Russian Airborne Forces’ armored vehicles is the development of the new 2S42 Lotos self-propelled mortar. Originally unveiled in 2019 by the Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering, this new fire support platform aims to become the natural replacement for the current 2S9 Nona mortars.
Last year, during the 2023 Army Expo, various updates were shared regarding the testing and evaluation of the 2S42 Lotos to validate its capabilities. As with many armored vehicles in service with the VDV, the Lotos is designed for transportation by the Aerospace Forces’ transport aircraft. Although its light weight provides high maneuverability and significant off-road capabilities, this comes at a cost in terms of armor and crew protection. However, this trade-off is justified as the Lotos is intended as an artillery support system, not an infantry combat vehicle.
For this mission, as previously described, the 2S42 uses “…a 120mm gun mounted on the chassis of a light Sprut-SDM-1 (BMD-4M) tank, which grants it amphibious capabilities to cross water obstacles and rivers. This platform choice gives it a reduced weight of approximately 18 tons, powered by a 450 HP engine, and a top speed of up to 70 km/h.”
According to recent updates from Kalashnikov, the Russian company announced that the self-propelled mortar system is being prepared for state trials. Like many new systems introduced to the Russian Armed Forces, these trials are essential for assessing and verifying capabilities before finalizing future procurement contracts and identifying potential improvements to be implemented.
Kalashnikov also revealed additional features of the 2S42, stating: “Initial tests showed that the Lotos is 1.5 times more effective than the Nona-SM SPAS in terms of ammunition load, range of the standard high-explosive/fragmentation projectile, and the overall power of its main high-explosive/fragmentation round.”
They added: “The new design also provides a significantly higher level of armor protection for the crew, a 360-degree rotating turret, automated guidance systems that enhance gun aiming speed and accuracy, mechanized ammunition racks that facilitate and speed up loading operations, as well as several other important advantages compared to the previous model.”
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