Ukraine used HIMARS artillery to attack Russia’s 2S4 Tyulpan complex, possibly destroying the world’s largest self-propelled mortar system.
Video posted by Yuriy Butusov, a Ukrainian war correspondent, on June 15 shows that the country’s reconnaissance drone detected a Russian 2S4 Tyulpan (Tulip) self-propelled mortar system from the same operator. practice in the fields.
Ukrainian forces then launched a precise attack, creating a large explosion and a column of smoke rising into the sky. Several members of the operations team lay motionless nearby, seemingly dead or seriously injured.
Butusov said the Russian 2S4 Tyulpan mortar system was destroyed, adding that the hit was carried out by HIMARS rocket artillery deployed near the village of Bilogorivka in the eastern province of Lugansk. The Ukrainian military’s electronic portal said that the raid caused a launch dose on the self-propelled mortar system to explode, at least causing damage to this weapon.
Pro-Ukrainian accounts claim that HIMARS artillery used cluster ammunition in the raid, but the specific type is unknown.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not commented on the information.
Ukraine attacked the Russian 2S4 Tyulpan self-propelled mortar in a video posted on June 15. Video: Telegram/Butusov Plus
2S4 Tyulpan is the world’s largest self-propelled mortar system, designed to destroy fortified fortifications and operate in urban warfare environments. This weapon has a caliber of 240 mm, a combat weight of 27.5 tons, and has a range of 9.5 km when using conventional 53-F-864 bullets and 19.5 km when using rocket-propelled range-enhancing bullets. 3F2. In addition, it can also fire 3F5 high-precision bullets equipped with a laser guidance system.
The main advantage of the 2S4 Tyulpan is its ability to fire at high angles, allowing it to fire from behind obstacles, an ideal feature for combat in urban environments. The amount of explosives in the 240 mm shell of this mortar system is 32 kg, significantly more than the 7.5 kg in the Soviet standard 152 mm artillery shell, helping the 2S4 Tyulpan possess great lethality.
However, this weapon has some disadvantages, including low mobility and the inability to quickly change position. Its large size makes it easy to detect when operated in an open position like in the video posted by Butusov. Each 2S4 Tyulpan system costs about $1.7 million, according to Sputnik.
Self-propelled mortar 2S4 Tyulpan. Image: Militarnyi
Oryx, an information analysis site based in the Netherlands, said Russia has lost a total of 50 2S4 Tyulpan complexes since the beginning of the war due to destruction or heavy damage.
Ukraine has repeatedly used US HIMARS artillery to attack enemy heavy equipment during the conflict. This country’s forces earlier this month used HIMARS bullets to raid and destroy a number of Russian air defense missile launchers, believed to be S-400, in the Belgorod region, more than 30 km from the Ukrainian border.