Ukraine targets rare 2A36 howitzers amid artillery challenges
Russians currently face significant challenges with tube artillery, and one of the few systems capable of competing in range with others, such as the Polish Krab using common ammunition, is the 2A36 Hyacinth-B howitzer. We present its performance and how the Ukrainians targeted them.
Russians are increasingly using North Korean Koksans, whose rate of fire and accuracy are quite low. However, they allow for striking targets at distances over 30 kilometres. This is important because Ukraine is receiving more artillery systems in the NATO 155 mm calibre version with a long barrel, allowing for an effective range of 30 kilometres using the most affordable ammunition.
Most Russian 122mm or 152mm calibre artillery can engage targets at a maximum range of about 19 kilometres. An exception is the 2A36 Hyacinth-B howitzer, of which there are few, making each a valuable target.
In the video below, it's seen that Ukrainians considered it valuable enough to deploy an Su-27 aircraft, which bombed its position along with a field stockpile of missiles using a pair of GBU-39 SDB glide bombs.
2A36 Hyacinth-B – special counter-battery howitzer of the USSR
The 152mm calibre 2A36 Hyacinth-B howitzers were introduced into service in the USSR in the late 1970s as successors to the field guns M-46 of the 130mm calibre from the Stalin era.
A key feature of the Hyacinth is its very long barrel, 49 calibres (nearly 7.6 metres) by Russian standards, which translates into a range of approximately 27-30 kilometres for basic ammunition or up to 40 kilometres for rounds with a rocket booster. All this with a rate of fire of up to six rounds per minute, which is incomparably better than North Korean Koksans, whose rate of fire is at most one round per minute.
These specifications allow the Hyacinth to engage in artillery duels, for example, with Polish Krabs or German PzH 2000. The system appears in a towed version as the 2A36 Hyacinth-B and a less common self-propelled version, the 2S5 Hyacinth-S.
GBU-39 SDB bombs — U.S. "featherweight" gliding bombs
The GBU-39B Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), introduced into service with the U.S. Air Force in 2006, is a precise gliding air bomb that can be considered "featherweight" compared to standard bombs weighing over 200 kilograms.
The SDB weighs only 122 kilograms and is 1.8 metres long, but its smaller destructive power is intended to be compensated by accuracy, reaching within a few metres. It is worth noting that the bomb has a 93-kilogram warhead with much greater destructive power than a conventional artillery shell containing at most 9-10 kilograms of explosive.
It is also worth noting that the bomb can operate in various modes. One mode allows for detonation in the air, creating fragments capable of penetrating everything that isn't armoured or underground. Other modes include an impact explosion or delayed detonation with the capability to penetrate up to 89 centimetres of reinforced concrete.
The bomb has folding wings, and when dropped from a high altitude, it can strike targets at a distance of up to 111 kilometres, providing protection to the aircraft against short-range anti-aircraft systems. The inertial and satellite navigation system or a seeker head homing in on a reflected laser beam ensures target accuracy.
However, it is worth noting that Russian electronic warfare systems have significantly reduced the precision of these bombs and other GPS-based armaments in some regions. For this reason, it is more effective to use multiple bombs, which is feasible in the case of the GBU-39 SDB due to the BRU-61/A dispensers. These can hold up to four units while using only one suspension point.
