The 122 mm amphibious self-propelled howitzer 2S1 Gvozdika (Russian: 2C1 Гвоздикa / Gvozdika) was developed in the USSR in the 1960s. It entered service in the USSR and Warsaw Pact countries in the early 1970s. It was subsequently exported to many other armies (the 2S1 was used in over 40 countries in total). It is designed to destroy fire assets, command posts, and field fortifications with indirect fire (high-explosive shells), as well as engage armored targets with direct fire (e.g., non-rotating HEAT shells). The rotating turret is armed with the 122 mm 2A31 howitzer, a modernized variant of the earlier towed D-30 howitzer. The turret is mounted on a modified chassis from the MTLB multi-purpose armored personnel carrier, extended by one pair of road wheels. Besides the USSR, the Gvozdika was produced under license in Bulgaria and also from 1984 to 1994 at the Stalowa Wola Steelworks in Poland. Although the 2S1 howitzer is an amphibious vehicle, a further version, the 2S1M, was also developed with enhanced amphibious capabilities. Only 12 of these vehicles were produced and delivered to the mixed artillery battalion of the 7th Lusatian Coastal Defense Brigade. Floats mounted on the sides of the hull, increasing buoyancy, and two water propulsors enabled landing from ships and navigating the sea. The Gvozdika, once the most modern vehicles of its type in the world, no longer meet the requirements of the modern battlefield due to its small gun caliber, low projectile weight, and insufficient range. While awaiting its successors, it remains the primary self-propelled gun of the Polish Army. In 2018, over 300 2S1s were in service in 11 self-propelled artillery battalions.
2S1M Gvozdika Technical Specifications:
Length: 7.26 m
Width: 2.85 m
Height: 2.73 m
Combat weight: 15.7 t
Crew: 4 people
Armor: up to 20 mm
Armature: 122 mm semi-automatic 2A31 howitzer with 40 rounds
– Maximum range: 15.2 km; practical rate of fire: 6 rounds/min.
Propulsion: JAMZ 238N or SW-680T diesel engine with 300 HP
Maximum speed on road/off-road/swimming: 60/30/4.5 km/h
Range on road: 500 km
