2S4 Tyulpan

2S4 Tyulpan
Image:2S4 M1975 240mm self-propeled mortar.jpg
Type	Self-propelled artillery
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Specifications
Weight	30 tons
Length	8.5 m
Width	3.2 m
Height	3.2 m
Crew	9
Armor	20mm max.
Primary armament	240 mm mortar
Secondary armament	12.7 mm DShK machine gun
Engine	V-59 diesel 520 hp
Power/weight	17 hp/tonne
Suspension	Torsion bar
Operational range	420km (on road)
Speed	62 km/h

The 2S4 Tyulpan (Russian: 2С4 «Тюльпан»; English: tulip) is a Soviet self-propelled mortar. "2S4" is its GRAU designation.

It was identified for the first time in 1975 in the Soviet army and so was called M-1975 by NATO (the 2S7 Pion also received the M-1975 designation), whereas its official designation is SM-240(2S4). Its design is based on the GMZ tracked minelaying vehicle carrying an externally mounted M-240 240 mm breech-loading mortar on the hull rear.

The crew consists of four men, but an extra five are required to operate the mortar. This has a range of 9,650 m but an extended range munition exists with a possible range of 20,000 m. Due to the large size of the weapon and the weight of the ammunition (130 kg for a standard projectile) it has a slow rate of fire: one round per minute. In addition to the high explosive bombs, it can fire armour-piercing, chemical and nuclear rounds. It can also fire the "Smel'chak" (daredevil), a laser-guided round.

Tyulpan is currently the heaviest mortar in deployment among any country.

It saw action during the Afghanistan[1] and Chechnya[2] conflicts.

Operators

•  Russia - 430 ^[1]

  Former Operators

  •  Czechoslovakia - 80, no longer in service ^[2]
    •  Iraq - status unknown
    •  Soviet Union - Passed on to Russia.

    References

    1. ^ Russian Army Equipment
    2. ^ Jane's Armour and Artillery 1997-98 ISBN 0 7106 1542 6

    
    

    External links

    • Video of a Tyulpan mortar being fired
    • 2S4 Tyulpan description at the manufacturer's website
    • 2S4 240mm Tulpan at armscontrol.ru
    • www.globalsecurity.org

    Soviet and post-Soviet armoured fighting vehicles after World War II
    Tanks T-10 · T-54 · T-55 · PT-76 · T-62 · T-64 · T-72 · T-80 Russian: T-90 · Black Eagle · T-95 Ukrainian: T-72MP · T-80UD · T-84 Armoured personnel carriers Tracked BTR-50 · MT-LB Wheeled BTR-40 · BTR-152 · BTR-60 · BTR-70 · BTR-80 Russian: BTR-90 Ukrainian: BTR-3 · BTR-4 · BTR-94 Infantry fighting vehicles BMP-1 · BMD-1 · BMP-2 · BMD-2 · BMP-3 · BMD-3 · BTR-T · BMP-T Armoured scout cars BRDM-1 · BRDM-2 Self-propelled artillery 2S1 Gvozdika · 2S3 Akatsiya · 2S4 Tyulpan · 2S5 Giatsint · 2S7 Pion · 2S9 Anona · 2S19 Msta · 2S23 Nona-SVK · 2S30 Iset · 2S31 Vena · ASU-57 · ASU-85 Multiple rocket launchers BM-14 · BM-21 Grad · BM-24 · BM-25 · BM-27 Uragan · TOS-1 · BM-30 Smerch Surface-to-surface missiles FROG-7 · 9K79 Tochka (SS-21 Scarab) · R-400 Oka (SS-23 Spider) Russian: Iskander (SS-26 Stone) Self-propelled anti-aircraft weapons Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns ZSU-57-2 · ZSU-23-4 · Tunguska-M1 Self-propelled surface-to-air missile launchers 2K11 Krug (SA-4 Ganef) · 9K33 Osa (SA-8 Gecko) · 9K31 Strela-1 (SA-9 Gaskin) · 9K37 Buk (SA-11 Gadfly) · 9K35 Strela-10 (SA-13 Gopher) · 2K12 Kub (SA-6 Gainful) · 9K330 Tor (SA-15 Gauntlet) · S-300 (SA-10 Grumble) Russian: Pantsyr-S1 · 9K38 Buk-M1-2 (SA-17 Grizzly)
    List of armoured fighting vehicles by country

    cs:2S4 Tulpan

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