First seen in public during rehearsals for the 2015 Victory Day parade in Moscow the Koalitsiya-SV is built around an auto-loaded 152 mm howitzer capable of firing up to 16 rounds a minute, twice as much as any other modern main battle tank.
Targeting is done via satellite navigation or a laser target indicator.
It has a firing range of 70 kilometers (43 miles), an absolute record no Western self-propelled gun can match. The US M109 Paladin is able to send shells a mere 30 kilometers (18 miles).
Britain’s S90 Braveheart fires 40 kilometers (24 miles) and the French AMX AuF1t has a maximum range of 35 kilometers (21 miles).
All this makes the Koalitsiya-SV akin to a tactical missile system, capable of destroying command posts, air- and missile-defense installations, communication lines and artillery batteries located well behind enemy lines while remaining outside the reach of enemy artillery.
“The introduction of the Koalitsiya-SV is a significant boost to the Russian Ground Forces’ artillery arsenal. Meanwhile, the US Army is expected to operate upgraded versions of the 1960s vintage M109 Paladin self-propelled gun," The National Interest wrote.
The Koalitsiya-SV will serve as a platform for a new, fully robotic howitzer capable of carrying out combat missions on its own.
