Profile
- Type
- 122 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Service note
- Cold War design in modern service
Artillery
2S1 Gvozdika
The 2S1 Gvozdika is a Soviet 122 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer built around the 2A31 gun on an amphibious armored chassis derived from the MT-LB family. In the Russia-Ukraine War it remains a common short-to-medium-range artillery system for both Russian and Ukrainian forces, combining mobility, indirect fire, and widespread 122 mm ammunition compatibility.
- Built in
- Soviet Union
Service History
- In service
- In service from 1971; retained by post-Soviet and export operators
- Used by
- Russian Armed Forces, Ukrainian Armed Forces
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War, Soviet-Afghan War
Production History
- Designer
- Kharkiv Tractor Plant / OKB-9
- Designed
- 1960s development; accepted for Soviet service in 1970
- Built in
- Soviet Union
- Produced
- 1971 to early 1990s
- Number built
- More than 10,000 reported by Army Recognition
- Variants
- 2S1 Gvozdika, PSH 74 Finnish-service designation, 2S1U Ukrainian modernization family
Specifications
- Crew
- 4
- Caliber
- 122 mm
- Main armament
- 2A31 122 mm rifled howitzer
- Combat weight
- 15.7 t
- Maximum firing range
- 15,200 m with standard ammunition
- Mobility
- 60 km/h road speed, 4.5 km/h afloat, 500 km road range
- Engine
- 299 hp diesel engine
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: RussiaUkraine
Operated by both Russian and Ukrainian forces as a legacy Soviet 122 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer; reporting during the full-scale war documents battlefield use by both sides and later Danish-supported transfers to Ukraine.
2S1 Gvozdika Images
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122 mm Self-Propelled Howitzer GvozdikaPublisher: National Defence University of Ukraine | Note: Supports manufacturer, service-entry, production, armament, crew, weight, range, mobility, and background context. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Gvozdika: The Soviet-Era Howitzer Used by Russia and Ukraine Against Each OtherPublisher: Forces News | Note: Supports direct Russia-Ukraine War use by both Russian and Ukrainian forces and basic system context. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Denmark Strengthens Ukraine's Artillery with a Discreet Delivery of 2S1 Gvozdika Self-Propelled HowitzersPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports Russia-Ukraine War transfer context for 2S1 Gvozdika howitzers supplied to Ukraine and production-count background. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Ukrainian 2S1 Gvozdika SPG.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports primary image provenance for a Ukrainian 2S1 Gvozdika photographed during a 2008 parade in Kyiv. | Accessed: 2026-06-19Soviet 2S1 Gvozdika.JPEGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports gallery image provenance and public-domain U.S. Department of Defense image status. | Accessed: 2026-06-19