Russia’s Defense Ministry has published footage of a 2S5 Giantsint-S self-propelled gun speedily maneuvering around the battlefield and firing at Ukrainian positions in Kharkov region’s Kupyansk area.
The footage shows the heavy 152 mm self-propelled gun traveling through a field, stopping, communicating by radio with command to determine its fire coordinates, preparing shells for fire and launching strikes.
The Giantsint-S in the video is operated by artillerymen from the Western Group of Forces’ 1st Guards Tank Army, with its fire directed at “uncovered military facilities, positions, fortifications, armored vehicles and manpower” of the Ukrainian Army. The gun’s crew receives assistance with guidance and fire adjustment from unmanned aerial vehicles hovering near enemy positions.
The MoD says the gun destroyed a Ukrainian camouflaged dugout and killed an unspecified number of enemy troops.
Maneuverability can be critical for artillery forces operating in frontline areas, with the enemy able to quickly triangulate their location, meaning after firing, howitzers, guns and rocket artillery systems must quickly evacuate the area before being struck in an enemy retaliation. This strategy of firing and leaving the area is known in US military jargon as shoot-and-scoot.
The Giantsint-S uses a modified 2K11 Krug SAM system tracked chassis, which can lug its 152 mm 2A37 L54-caliber gun distances up to 500 km at speeds between 25 km per hour in rough terrain to 62 km per hour on the highway. The system has a 5-man crew, and a firing range of between 28-40 km, depending on the type of round used (rocket-assisted rounds fly further).