Born in the 1970s, the Soviet Union used the 2S1 Gvozdika as a 122 mm self-propelled howitzer
2S1 was produced until the end of 1991 with a total of more than 10,000 units
It all started with the need for new self-propelled howitzers after the end of World War II
Similar options were considered in Western countries
In the Soviet Union, since 1947, many surveys have been carried out, but then stopped
In 1967, the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union
issued a resolution to eliminate the lag of self-propelled artillery in this country compared to the NATO military bloc
An alternative Russian designation is SAU-122 but in the Russian Army it is commonly known as Gvozdika
The 2S1 is fully amphibious with very little preparation, and once afloat is propelled by its tracks
A variety of track widths are available to allow the 2S1 to operate in snow or swamp conditions
It is NBC protected and has infrared night-vision capability
The 2S1 has seven road wheels on each side; the running gear can be fitted with different widths of track to match terrain
The interior is separated into a driver's compartment on the left, an engine compartment on the right and a fighting compartment to the rear
Within the fighting compartment the commander sits on the left, the loader on the right and the gunner to the front
The all-welded turret is located above the fighting compartment
The 2S1 Gvosdika is fitted with a D-32 122 mm rifled howitzer
It is a modified variant of the D-30 towed howitzer
It is fitted with a load assisting system
Maximum rate of fire is 4-5 rounds per minute
The Gvosdika is compatible with all 122 mm munitions developed for the D-30 howitzer
These include fragmentation, HE-FRAG, HEAT, cluster, smoke and illumination projectiles
A total of 40 rounds are carried, Maximum range of fire with HE-FRAG projectile is 15.2 km
The 2S1 Gvosdika is based on the modified MT-LB multi-purpose armored vehicle chassis
Vehicle is powered by a YaMZ-238V diesel engine, developing 240 horsepower
Vehicle is amphibious, though the ammunition load has to be reduced to 30 rounds in order to cross rivers and lakes afloat
On water vehicle is propelled by its tracks. Maximum speed on water is 4.5 km/h
The vehicle can be airlifted by An-12, Il-76, C-130, or similar military transport aircraft