2S43 Malva

The 2S43 "Malva" (in Russian: 2С43 Мальва, Malva referring to the flower) is a 152 mm Russian self-propelled gun mounted on an 8x8 wheeled chassis.

Development
The 2S43 Malva was developed by the central institute of research Burevestnik based in Nizhny Novgorod. The development of the system was done in the context of the Nabrosok program, which is supposed to develop an entirely new range of artillery systems for the Russian armed forces.

The main innovation of the project is the use of an AWD wheeled chassis of eight wheels. This increases the mobility and lowers the mass, but with an unchanged combat ability. Wheeled chassis are also less expensive to exploit and produce. It is produced by Uraltransmash, a branch of Uralvagonzavod. The chassis, BAZ-6610-02 "Voshchina" is produced by the Bryansk Automobile Plant.

In 2021, the technical and tactical exigencies were fixed, in anticipation of future tests. These tests began in 2021 and ended on 17 May 2023.

On 26 October 2023, the first batch of Malva howitzers was reported to be delivered to the army. The second batch was reportedly delivered in June 2024.

Deployment in Ukraine
On June 2, 2024 an aerial image of the 2S43 surfaced showing the vehicle’s deployment to a firing position in the Kharkiv region in Ukraine as part of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. While the image is confirmed to be a 2S43, there is very little information available regarding how many are on the front or their uses.

Description
The 2S43 "Malva" possesses a 152 mm 2A64 cannon, with a 30 rounds ammunitions stowage. It has an effective range of 24.5 km, a gun elevation of +70°, depression of -3° and azimuth of $$\pm$$30°. Other reports say that the 2S43 could be equipped with the 2A88 cannon which is used by the 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV. It has cabin armor to be protected against small arms and shrapnel. With an operational mass of 32 tons, the 2S43 is much more mobile than other self-propelled guns like the 42-ton 2S19 Msta or other tracked self-propelled artillery.