Russo-Ukrainian War: "Office" of the 2S1 Gvozdika 122mm SPH

Source: inukraine.official on Instagram

     The “office” of a Ukrainian 2S1 Gvozdika (“Carnation”) 122mm SPH (Self-Propelled Howitzer), a screen shot from a social media video. The 2S1, first entering service in 1972, is the second oldest self-propelled gun currently in use with the Ukrainian Army. Only the 2S3 Akatsiya (“Acacia”) 152mm SPH is the oldest, having first entered service in 1971.

     The breech belongs to the vehicle's 2A18 122mm howitzer, a variant of the towed D-30 howitzer. The 2A18 uses a horizontal, sliding-wedge, semi-automatic breech. The latter means the empty shell case is automatically ejected from the breech after firing. One empty case can be seen on the turret floor. Above the breech are the howitzer's hydropneumatic recuperator system which assists in absorbing recoil energy after firing. The lever with the horizontal grip operates the breech while the more vertical positioned lever to the left of the breech with the round grip is a manual trigger for the howitzer. The curved plate above the howitzer is the barrel mantlet.

     Along the inside of the turret are racks for ready projectiles and propellant charge cases. All told, the turret holds 24 complete rounds (projectile + propellant case) while another 16 rounds are stored in the rear hull. Spent cases can be reused though they need to be returned to a ammunition manufacturer to effect the refurbishment. This includes a thorough cleaning followed by inspection for damage, deformity, or other flaws. After passing inspection, the case is provided with new primer and propellant charges.

     The loader's position is to the right of the gun and he is assisted with a power rammer whose tray and arm can just be seen at the far right of the image. The loader will first open the breech (it is closed in the image) then places the projectile into the tray. With a push, the loader slides the rammer apparatus so that it is lined up with the breech. After the loader hits the activation switch, the rammer engages and pushes the projectile into the breech. The loader next places the propellant case onto the tray, hits the activation switch, and the rammer pushes the case into the breech. At this point, the breech closes and the rammer apparatus automatically shifts to the right, out of the way of the breech. The howitzer is now ready to fire.

     The gunner sits to the left of the gun and he can just be seen at the very left edge of the image wearing a t-shirt (above and behind him is the commander). After quickly checking his targeting information, he pushes down on the vertical lever and this fires the howitzer. The empty propellant case is then ejected out of the breech and falls to the turret floor. The breech remains open, ready for the next shell.

     A trained crew can run up to 5 rounds per minute through the 2A18 but a more sustained rate of fire is between 1 to 2 rounds every minute.