Mortar "Tulip", like many other heavy artillery weapons, has recently attracted increased attention to itself. In the light of recent events, even those who in the past associated the words "tulip", "peony" and "hyacinth" exclusively with flower beds began to interest any weapon. Today, these terms for the most part refer to what sows death and destruction around itself. The "weather and weather" names, so beloved by the domestic military industry, today cause real horror, especially among those who are trying to survive in the midst of war. And human fears and fears are not in vain at all - the Tulip self-propelled mortar, of course, does not apply to weapons of mass destruction . However, the consequences of one hit from it are very devastating.
Appointment of self-propelled guns "Tulip" and use in military operations
Self-propelled mortar 2C4 "Tulip" can use a variety of, including nuclear munitions. It is a powerful weapon with tremendous destructive power. The 2C4 Tulip mortar is primarily intended for the destruction of enemy fortifications , field engineering structures, fortified buildings, shelters with manpower and equipment, checkpoints and command posts, art batteries. This tool is intended for warfare outside settlements. A mortar "Tulip" can also be used for wall-mounted artillery fire, the characteristics of which allow hitting targets located several kilometers from their original positions.
History of creation
A few words should also be said about this. The 240-mm mortar Tulip was supposed to replace the towed 240-mm mortar M-240, released in 1950. The ballistic characteristics of these guns are approximately the same. However, the 2C4 surpasses the M-240 in combat survivability and firing efficiency due to improved maneuverability and maneuverability. In addition, he needs much less time than his predecessor to open fire and withdraw from firing positions.
A prototype of a new 240 mm mortar was developed in hard currency in 1944-1945. The project was led by B. I. Shavyrin. Tests of the new gun began 2 years after the Victory and lasted until 1949. In 1950, the mortar was put into service with the army. In those days, it was called the "240-mm mortar M-240." Its ultimate sighting range was declared a distance of 8 thousand meters.
In 1953, a special charge was designed for the M-240 mortar, which allows to increase the firing range to 9700 m. The serial production of the M-240 began in 1951 in the city of Yurga. A total of 329 installations of this brand were produced. The M-240 240-mm mortar is a rigid system without recoil devices, loaded with a breech-loading method, having a wheeled carriage and firing with fired mines.
Imaginary Unnecessity
The first difficulties in the development and production of a new self-propelled mortar did not begin at all due to any of its shortcomings, difficulties with financing or a lack of specialists. In fact, Khrushchev’s unshakable conviction that shelling artillery was a relic of the past became the main test. Attempts by the circle to influence the opinion of the First Secretary of the Central Committee did not succeed. The development of all large-caliber guns firing charges was suspended. Moreover, the accumulated materials on modernization were simply abandoned and lost. Production and further improvement of the M-240 ceased in 1958.
New Hope
The new leadership of the country, which replaced Khrushchev, fortunately, managed to assess the situation more adequately. Those weapons that did not have time to abandon and finally destroy, to put it mildly, depressing. Samples of equipment from the time of the war, not only did they become physically unusable, but they were also so morally obsolete that they could not withstand any comparisons with analogues of foreign production. And competitiveness in those days played a significant role. Fighting unfolded in Vietnam, the Americans increased power by investing huge amounts of money and forces in military development. Not far off was the Cold War ...
All this led to a decree of the Central Committee on the development and creation of completely new self-propelled artillery systems. The deadly "bouquet" was collected thanks to several military factories. Kharkov Tractor-Tank launched the production of 2C2 Carnations (122 mm caliber), the production of 122 mm Violets started in Volgograd, the plants of the Urals began immediately with two self-propelled guns - the 152 mm Acacia howitzer and the 240 mm 2C4 Tulip mortar "
Routine work and the first test
At the head of the development stood Yuri Tomashov. Even at the first stages of his work, the team he led understood how many difficulties he was faced with. However, this did not frighten the team of military engineers, and the most eloquent evidence of this is the huge number of copyright patents received during development.
The professionalism of the staff, the full dedication of masters of all levels made it possible to avoid many problems. However, there were considerable difficulties when working on the Tulip Mortar project. First of all, this affected the chassis. It was originally planned to equip the mortar with a caterpillar system, but its carrying capacity was too small. The weight that it had to carry on itself reached 27 tons. and it had only 21 capabilities. Subsequently, together with specialists from the national cooperation of the defense complex, it was decided to equip the Tulip self-propelled mortar with an engine of 520 hp (instead of 400). nerd based on the tractor of the launcher of the RK "Circle". The team of Yu. Tomashov had to significantly refine and modernize the system, however, in general, the cooperation was fruitful.
Another difficulty arose during the first field trials. The system simply could not stand its own return. The blow was so strong that I had to abandon the idea that the frame would take the return. Only the earth could do this. Therefore, the engineers had to urgently take on the design of a special unit that brings the barrel into a fighting position.
After modernization, the Tulip mortar was tested a second time. He completely blew up the reinforced concrete pillbox, proving its effectiveness. In 1969, the self-propelled gun "Tulip" was put into production, and in 1971 it was officially put into service.
"Daredevil" and his "brothers"
What shoots the mortar "Tulip"? System characteristics allow the use of several types of shells. High-explosive fragmentation mines 53-F-864 are located in the front and rear parts of the drum, and active rockets ARM-0-ZVF2 are installed along the entire length. Ammunition with a rocket accelerator can be used, their flight range reaches 20 km. It is noteworthy that for a long time even the appearance of such a mine, dubbed the "Daredevil", was classified. The 2C4 Tulip self-propelled mortar has armor-piercing, nuclear and laser-guided projectiles in the arsenal. For shooting from the "Tulip" are also suitable cluster "Seals" and incendiary "Pollock."
Analogs and alternatives
As for analogues, it is first of all worth noting that the heaviest artillery, adopted for service in most countries of the world, reaches a caliber of 150 mm. Mortar "Tulip" today is one of the most difficult. Therefore, when it comes to an alternative to this destructive weapon, it is more appropriate to speak not so much about barreled artillery as about multiple launch rocket systems and even assault aircraft. "Tulip" is inferior to various MLRS except in the firing range, while significantly overtaking them in rate of fire and shunting characteristics. In addition, Hurricanes and Grads, as they say, are blind, while the shells fired from the Tulip can be controlled remotely.
Participation in world wars
The first serious test was the military operations in Afghanistan. The 240-mm self-propelled mortar "Tulip" proved to be "excellent" in the conditions of the mountainous terrain. 120 self-propelled guns took part in the Afghan war, mainly using high-explosive fragmentation mines and daredevil shells.
The Tulip was used in both Chechen wars. After the first shot, Dudaev accused the Russian side of dropping a nuclear bomb. In fact, destruction was made by a single mine.
Nowadays, the Tulip mortar has been seen more than once in the Donbass. According to the field commanders, the VSN forces have at their disposal 2 Tulip mortars, both of them went into battle.
Today, the Tulip mortar has been discontinued, but not withdrawn from service.