Russia deploys vintage M‑30 howitzers amid equipment woes
The Russians face increasing equipment shortages, with older equipment being dispatched to the front lines. It has come to light that the Russians are using old M-30 howitzers against the Ukrainians—these were used during World War II, including in the capture of Berlin. Here's what this relic from the past still has to offer.
Due to losses and insufficient production capabilities for artillery system barrels, the Russians are relying on increasingly older solutions. Notably, in post-Soviet depots, 122 mm and 152 mm calibre towed howitzers often appear in new satellite images without barrels, which are compatible with more valuable self-propelled solutions like the 2S1 Gvozdika or 2S3 Akatsiya.
Meanwhile, towed artillery is being swapped for relics like M-46 or D-74 cannons, most likely from North Korea. Moreover, equipment reserves dating back to the capture of Berlin, such as M-30 howitzers, are being mobilized. In the video below, a relic at an artillery position is shown being struck in the barrel by an FPV drone.
M-30 howitzer - main artillery of the Red Army
The M-30 is a howitzer produced from 1939 until the late 1950s. Its calibre is 122 mm, but due to its short barrel length of 22 calibres (about 2.7 metres), its range today is not impressive, reaching a maximum of 12 kilometres. It is worth noting that some mortars of NATO countries can fire at such distances.
However, for the Russians, even such artillery is better than none at all and can be troublesome for Ukrainian soldiers without counter-battery support, as the relic can fire up to six shells per minute. Each shell contains approximately 3.7 kilograms of explosives, with a lethal radius of about 30 metres.
Nonetheless, suppose the Ukrainians have good reconnaissance in a given region, along with strike-capable FPV drones or "Baba Jaga" and real-time paired artillery. In that case, the M-30 and its crew are, at most, targets in today's battlefield.
