“The Drok arrived in the Russian army 8 years after the demonstration of the model, but so far in the form of an experimental batch
Despite the fact that the occupiers have constantly postponed the launch of their new self-propelled mortar into production, and now it is an experimental batch, the theoretical saturation of the Russian army with such weapons should be taken quite seriously.
The Russian army received the first experimental batch of new 2S41 Drok self-propelled mortars based on the Typhoon armored vehicle, the press service of the Russian defense corporation Rostec reported yesterday, July 18.
The main weapon of the vehicle is the improved 2B14 Podnos mortar, which has a one-and-a-half times longer range and can destroy targets at a distance of 6 km. It is additionally equipped with a remote-controlled combat module with a 7.62 mm PKTM machine gun, as well as an additional 2B24 mortar, which “can be used by foot soldiers outside the vehicle.”
The main advantage of the new mortar is its rapid fire rate, which should be more than 10 rounds per minute. As noted, the vehicle’s ammunition is more than 40 mines.
Rostec notes that its 2S41 Drok self-propelled mortar is equipped with mechanized guidance drives and a modern ICS, as well as a digital system that “provides both secure information interaction with control machines and the possibility of autonomous operation.”
In the Russian Federation, this vehicle is defined as “a maneuverable vehicle that can quickly escape from enemy fire.” It is noted that the crew can fire without leaving the vehicle, and the transition from a stowed to a combat position takes less than one minute.
Among the objectives of the Drok self-propelled mortar are the destruction of manpower, lightly armored targets, blinding observation posts, illuminating areas and creating smoke screens.
The self-propelled mortar is based on the chassis of a 4×4 BA K-4386 Typhoon Airborne Troop Carrier, weighs up to 14 tons and can reach speeds of up to 100 km/h.
The model of the 2S41 Drok self-propelled mortar was first presented at the Army Forum in 2015, while four years later, in 2019, a full-fledged sample of the combat vehicle was demonstrated for the first time, and it was planned to launch the mortar in 2020, but today we are talking about an experimental batch. It is not yet known when the production cars will be launched.
The 2S41 Drok self-propelled mortar is one of the four vehicles of the so-called new Russian “flower artillery.”
