Rostec has outlined how Russia’s wheeled Malva self-propelled howitzer is being used in the special military operation zone. According to the state corporation, the artillery system can quickly move into a firing position, strike a target and leave before the enemy has time to respond.
Rostec said the BAZ-6910 wheeled chassis allows the Malva to conduct long-range maneuvers over considerable distances without relying on heavy transporters or railways. The corporation described this mobility as one of the system’s main advantages over tracked artillery platforms.
The howitzer also supports a simultaneous fire-raid mode. In this configuration, several shells are fired along different trajectories and at different velocities but reach the target almost at the same time. Rostec said the Malva is designed to engage a wide range of targets, including command posts, fortified positions, artillery and missile batteries, air defense systems and armored vehicle columns.
The Malva became Russia’s first self-propelled artillery system built on a wheeled chassis. Compared with the tracked Msta-S of the same caliber, it is lighter and more mobile. The vehicle has a combat weight of 32 tons, allowing it to be transported by Il-76 military transport aircraft.
The system is armed with a 152 mm 2A64 rifled gun with a 47-caliber barrel. The same artillery piece is also used on the Msta-S. The Malva can fire all types of 152 mm ammunition. Its range is up to 24 kilometers with a high-explosive fragmentation shell, while the Krasnopol-D guided munition can extend the engagement range to as much as 43 kilometers.