Ukrainian artillery deployment signals persistent advance in Kursk

Ukrainians are bringing the so-called "atomic cannon" 2S7 Pion to the Kursk region. Years ago, this weapon was designed to fire tactical nuclear charges. Currently, both sides use it to breach fortified lines. Does this mean that the Ukrainians do not intend to stop?

After ten days of fighting, the Russians finally directed reserve units to the Kursk breach. Not all of them are of the highest calibre. Mostly they are training units or those in the process of restoring combat readiness. However, it was sufficient to strengthen the lines in the main directions and build field fortifications, on which they now base their defence.

This is still not enough to stop the Ukrainians. They bypass the strongest points of resistance, leaving their destruction to special units, unmanned aircraft, and, most importantly, artillery. To eliminate such fortifications, using the latest smart weapons is not necessary. Classic artillery can be employed, and the 2S7 Pion, with a 203 mm calibre, is the most powerful weapon in the barrel artillery arsenal on both sides of the front.

Both Ukrainians and Russians have used Pions near Bakhmut, Soledar, Vuhledar, and Avdiivka - wherever strong lines of fortifications needed to be broken. The power of over 220-pound shells can deeply scour the ground, and Pions were designed specifically for such tasks.

Since the 1950s, the Soviets had been looking for an artillery system that, using tactical nuclear charges, could carve out passages for armoured spearheads, destroy fortifications, and key targets behind the front lines. In 1970, a resolution by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Council of Ministers of the USSR decided that the Kirov factory in Leningrad would develop an artillery system for independent artillery regiments, intended for the disposal of front commanders as a reserve.

After five years of work, the Soviet Army adopted the Pion system, and after another two years, the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Technical Physics in Chelyabinsk developed a 203 mm calibre shell with a nuclear charge. The modernised version of the howitzer has a firing rate of up to 2.5 shots per minute.

In reality, during combat operations, the firing rate rarely exceeds two shots per minute. The 2A44 cannon can send Soviet-made high-explosive fragmentation shells weighing 240 pounds to a distance of 23 miles, and lighter ones, weighing 225 pounds, to a distance of up to 30 miles.

The chassis, developed on the basis of the T-80 tank, carries a crew of seven and an iron reserve of eight shells. The latter is inviolable and used only as a last resort. During missions, transport vehicles deliver the shells.

The Ukrainians have around 20 Pions in the line, which belong to the 43rd Independent Artillery Brigade named after Hetman Taras Triasyla. The Brigade fought in the defence of Kyiv, then participated in the counteroffensive near Kharkiv, and helped break the Russian defence lines over the Donets. Then, individual engagements were conducted wherever artillery superiority was crucial.

Today, no one expects Pions to create atomic corridors. They are now used to destroy fortifications - combat shelters, trenches, rear depots, and command posts. Combined with modern reconnaissance means, an efficiently functioning communication system, and modern ammunition, they prove to be an effective combat tool.

The combat capabilities of the Pions increased significantly in the spring of 2023, when deliveries of American M106 shells, 203 mm calibre, intended for American M110 howitzers, began. These shells fit the Soviet system, making the slightly outdated 2S7 Pion howitzers still effective on the battlefield.

American shells weigh just under 220 pounds, with a warhead charge of up to 33 pounds. The downside of these shells is their limited range, which, when fired from M110 howitzers, is only 16 miles. However, the American system has a much shorter barrel - 37 calibres - while the Soviet 2A44 cannon in the 2S7 has a barrel length of 56 calibres. Thanks to this, the range exceeds 21 miles, which is already sufficient.

M110 howitzers were withdrawn from service in the US Army thirty years ago, but large quantities of shells still remain in American warehouses. Instead of costly disposal, the Americans decided to hand them over to the Ukrainians. They are currently using them against the Russians.

In recent days, photos have emerged of Ukrainian Pions that have entered the territory of the Russian Kursk region. This means that the Ukrainians not only do not intend to stop but plan to advance further. However, they do not attempt to break through every defence point. They employ a tactic similar to the American one used in the Pacific battles during World War II - the "island-hopping" tactic. Small resistance points are simply bypassed, leaving their elimination to Ranger units, drones, and artillery.

It is the Pions that are to assist in the destruction of surrounded units and concentration points of Russian reserves. This means that the Ukrainians do not intend to stop. They operate systematically and methodically. After breaking through the Russian defence, they expand the bridgehead, bringing more units into the breach and securing the seized territories. The entry of long-range barrel artillery into the Kursk region means that the Ukrainians feel confident and have adequately secured and isolated the area of military operations. And that is bad news for the Kremlin.

Sławek Zagórski