Ukrainian 2S7 Pions push into Kursk, threaten Russian defenses

Ukrainians are bringing the so-called "atomic cannon" 2S7 Pion to the Kursk region. Years ago, this weapon was designed for firing tactical nuclear charges. Currently, both sides are using it to break through fortifications. 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 front. Not all of them are of the highest quality. Most are training units or those in the process of restoring combat readiness. However, this was enough to strengthen the lines in the main directions and build field fortifications, which are now the basis of their defense.

This is still not enough to stop the Ukrainians. They bypass the strongest points of resistance, leaving their destruction to special units, drones, and especially artillery. To eliminate such fortifications, there is no need to use the latest smart weapons. You can use classic artillery, 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 used the Pions in Bakhmut, Soledar, Vuhledar, and Avdiivka - wherever strong lines of fortifications had to be broken. The power of over 100-kilogram shells can deeply plow the ground, and the Pions were designed for such tasks.

Since the 1950s, the Soviets had been searching for an artillery system that, using tactical nuclear charges, could carve out passages for armoured units, destroy fortifications, and key targets in the rear of the front. 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 plant in Leningrad should develop an artillery system for independent artillery regiments, intended for the commanders of the fronts as reserves.

After five years of work, the Soviet Army accepted the Pion system into equipment, and after another two years, the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Technical Physics in Chelyabinsk developed a 203 mm shell with a nuclear charge. In the modernized version, the howitzer has a rate of fire of up to 2.5 rounds per minute.

In reality, during combat operations, the rate of fire rarely exceeds two rounds per minute. The 2A44 cannon can send Soviet-made high-explosive fragmentation shells weighing 110 kilograms at a distance of 37 kilometres, and lighter ones weighing 100 kilograms at a distance of up to 48 kilometres.

The chassis, developed based on the T-80 tank, carries seven crew members and an iron reserve of eight shells. This last reserve is inviolable and used only as a last resort. During missions, the shells are delivered by transport vehicles.

The Ukrainians have about 20 Pions in the line, which are part of the 43rd Independent Artillery Brigade named after Hetman Taras Triasylo. The brigade fought in the defence of Kyiv, then participated in the counteroffensive near Kharkiv, and helped break through the Russian defensive lines over the Donets. Then, individual platoons were used wherever artillery superiority was crucial.

Today, no one expects the Pions to create atomic corridors. They are currently used to destroy lines of fortifications - combat bunkers, trenches, rear depots, and command posts. Combined with modern reconnaissance means, an efficiently operating communication system, and modern ammunition, they prove to be an effective means of combat.

The combat capabilities of the Pions significantly increased in the spring of 2023, when deliveries of American M106 calibre 203 mm shells, 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 almost 100 kilograms, with a warhead charge of up to 15 kilograms. The drawback of these shells is their short range, which, when fired from M110 howitzers, is only 26 kilometres. 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 35 kilometres, which is sufficient.

The M110 howitzers were withdrawn from service in the U.S. Army thirty years ago, but large quantities of shells still lay in American warehouses. Instead of costly disposal, the Americans decided to hand them over to the Ukrainians. And they currently use them against the Russians.

In recent days, photos have appeared showing Ukrainian Pions entering the territory of the Russian Kursk region. This means that the Ukrainians do not intend to stop, but plan to advance further. They do not try to break through every defence point. They use a similar tactic to the Americans in the Pacific during World War II - the "island hopping" tactic. Small resistance points are simply bypassed, leaving their elimination to Ranger units, drones, and artillery.

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

Sławek Zagórski for Wirtualna Polska