Ukrainian Pion artillery advances into Kursk, bolstering the frontlines

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 most vital 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. Classic artillery, like the 2S7 Pion with a 203 mm caliber, is the most potent weapon in the barrel artillery arsenal on both sides of the front.

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 220-pound 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 armored units and destroy fortifications and critical 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 as 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 can fire 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 240 pounds at a distance of 23 miles and lighter ones weighing 225 pounds at a distance of up to 30 miles.

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, part of the 43rd Independent Artillery Brigade named after Hetman Taras Triasylo. The brigade fought in the defense 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 Pions' combat capabilities significantly increased in the spring of 2023, when deliveries of American M106 caliber 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 220 pounds, with a warhead charge of up to 33 pounds. The drawback of these shells is their short range, which, when fired from M110 howitzers, is only 16 miles. However, the American system has a much shorter barrel—37 calibers, while the Soviet 2A44 cannon in the 2S7 has a barrel length of 56 calibers. Thanks to this, the range exceeds 22 miles, which is sufficient.

The M110 howitzers were withdrawn from service in the US 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.

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

The Pions are to help destroy surrounding units and points of concentration in Russian reserves. This means that the Ukrainians do not intend to stop. They act systematically and methodically. After breaking the Russian defense, they expand the bridgehead, bringing 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 terrible news for the Kremlin.