The Russian Armed Forces have received their first Koalitsiya-SV 152 mm self-propelled howitzer (SPH), the TASS news agency reported on 22 May, citing the Rostec press service.
Delivery of one of the first 2S35s, which are often transported without the radars that are installed on the turret either side of the main gun for firing.
The report added that the vehicle’s trials are expected to be concluded in 2022, a significant revision of the original timelines various Russian sources reported when the vehicle first emerged in 2015.
Russia’s Central Military District reported on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) website on 26 May that it had received eight 2S35s, which would be distributed among the Russian Ground Forces. The vehicles are fitted with the 6S21 remote-controlled turret carrying a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun.
Russian missile and artillery forces commander Lieutenant General Mikhail Matveevsky said in 2017 that 2S35 production versions would enter service in 2020. However, UralVagonZavod (UVZ) said in its 2019 annual report that it had completed development of most of the vehicle’s components, indicating that it would not enter service in 2020.
Nonetheless, the first deliveries suggest that the 2S35 will now enter trials with the Russian Ground Troops, a process that can be lengthy and very comprehensive. There is therefore no guarantee that the 2S35 will enter service in its current form.
Previously, Russian forces received several Koalitsiyas that were paraded in Moscow during Victory Day on 9 May 2015 and at every subsequent parade. These vehicles were used for initial trials, feeding into further development of the platform.
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