Ukraine's FPV drone takes out Russia's new 2S43 Malva Howitzer

The 2S43 Malva is a self-propelled howitzer whose prototypes were unveiled in 2020. Production began two years later, and in June of this year, the first units were sent to the front. It took only a few weeks for the Ukrainians to report successful operations against the 2S43 Malva.

Yurii Fedorenko, the commander of the Achilles battalion from the 92nd Separate Airborne Assault Brigade, posted on social media that his unit managed to hit a 2S43 Malva using an FPV (first-person view) drone in the Kharkiv region.

It is worth noting that this is not the first hit on such a Russian artillery system but the first to use an FPV drone. In June, another Ukrainian unit successfully struck the 2S43 Malva howitzer using an M30A1 tungsten warhead missile.

As noted by Defence Express, a portal specializing in military topics, the 2S43 Malva is positioned, in terms of mobility and capabilities, as a close relative of the French CAESAR artillery. The Russian equipment boasts a range of about 15 miles and an ammunition magazine for 30 shells. However, it is known that in 2023, the Russians began working on an improved version of this system, which is expected to have a more excellent range comparable to the best NATO artillery.

NATO relies on 155 mm shells, whereas the Russians consistently use 152 mm ammunition. The 2S43 Malva features a 2A64 rifled barrel with a length of 47 calibers, and it has a rate of fire of about 7-8 rounds per minute.

A significant change from older Russian artillery systems is wheeled, not tracked, traction. The 2S43 Malva is based on the chassis of the BAZ-6010-027 truck with an 8x8 drive and a 630 HP engine. As a result, this approximately 43-foot long and 70,000-pound artillery system can reach speeds of up to 50 mph.