2S4 Tyulpan

The 2S4 Tyulpan is a powerful, self-propelled mortar used by the Russian Ground Forces. Although the mortar itself had been designed and built at the end of World War II, it entered service as a self-propelled artillery piece in 1972. It was massively produced by the Soviet, State-run company Uraltransmash. Its unique feature is the fact that it is loaded by a breech and not through the barrel muzzle as is the case with ordinary infantry mortars.

With more than 500 Tyulpans being built, it has been employed in combat during the Soviet-Afghan War, the Chechen Wars, the Syrian Civil War, and the Ukrainian War. In the military campaign in the Donbass, the Russian artillery units utilize it to attack and destroy Ukrainian fortified positions, using reconnaissance drones to spot their targets and hit them with precision ammunition.

Technical Characteristics

The 2S4 Tyulpan is a 240-mm, breech-loading, self-propelled mortar. It is mounted on the GM-123 tracked chassis, which is powered by a V59, V-12 diesel engine, capable of delivering 520 HP. The vehicle had a maximum range of 430 km, but the mortar itself had a range of 9.6 km, firing 130-kg high explosive (HE) shells. However, when it uses the 228-kg rocket-boosted ammunition, its maximum range is 18 km. In order to load the shells, the mortar barrel is put in the horizontal position, then it is swiveled back into an almost vertical position, turning an axle mounted at the rear of vehicle. It is equipped with an autoloader.

Below, the 2S4 Tyulpan during Russian military exercises, with the mortar barrel set a high angle ready to shoot.

Below, the Tyulpan, with the tube on the horizontal position