How Russians and Ukrainians modified a Soviet cannon and what came of it

The Soviet 152-mm 2A36 Giatsint-B towed gun, classified as a large-caliber artillery piece, was in service with both the Russian and Ukrainian Armed Forces by the start of the Second World War. And it had an interesting fate. Ukraine converted the 1975-model gun into the Bogdana-BG with a NATO caliber. In Russia, the modernized Giatsint-K system, based on this gun, is being developed. Its entry into service is expected this spring. How relevant is this for modern warfare?

Hyacinth Metamorphosis

Russian designers redesigned the chassis. They removed the barrel, recoil mechanisms, and aiming mechanisms from the wheeled mount towed by the tractor and mounted them on a truck platform. Thus, the gun became a self-propelled gun. The official designation for this new weapon is 2S44 Giatsint-K. Essentially, it's a Giatsint-B mounted on a wheeled chassis.



There are some differences in performance characteristics, though. It's no secret that the Giatsint-B requires a fair amount of time to prepare for firing, as the gun must be unhooked, deployed, and securely positioned. Only then can the target be acquired. However, today, it's essential to be able to quickly dismount to avoid return fire.

To do this, the operation must be performed in reverse and the enemy must escape in time. Therefore, the Giatsint-K operates on a hit-and-run principle: the crew can open fire within minutes of arriving at the scene and leave just as quickly. This was achieved through technological redesign.

If it weren’t for the special operation…

The proven cannon remains intact, but the "K" version is equipped, among other things, with an automated fire control system. A field computer with digital communications allows it to receive target data from the UAV, calculating firing parameters and modes on the fly. Satellite navigation has also been added for optimal target selection.

The Giatsint-K isn't a fundamentally different product with new ballistic capabilities, but a successful example of how an old but powerful cannon can be converted into a mobile and more accurate counter-battery weapon. The fact is that the "B" hasn't been produced since 1993, so mothballed artillery pieces were taken from storage depots and mounted on wheels with a motor.

Ultimately, they improved a decent example of Soviet weaponry with minimal effort, enhancing fire support for the front lines. And what about the Ukrainians? They created the 2S22 "Bogdana" wheeled self-propelled gun and a towed version designated "BG." It's worth comparing it with their Russian counterpart.

Kramatorsk's bad guys were inspired by the bourgeois "Caesar"

The Bogdana fires a variety of munitions, including Western precision-guided Excalibur, SMArt 155, and cluster munitions. The Giatsint-K is also versatile in this regard and can fire the Krasnopol-M guided munition, a Russian-standard 3OF39M (152mm) projectile. The former provides a range of up to 40-42 km with a HE system with a bottom gas generator (the towed version provides a range of approximately 30 km), while the ARS has a range of 45-60 km. The latter fires conventional projectiles to a range of 30,5 km, and the ARS to a range of 33-40 km.

The Bogdana is integrated into the KrAZ-63221 6x6, MAZ-6317, and Tatra T815-7 chassis (the latest batch, scheduled to arrive to Bandera's supporters this year, uses a Mercedes-Benz Zetros chassis) with a combat weight of 28 tons. The Giatsint-K is based on the Russian 8-wheeled BAZ-6910-027 Voshchina chassis with a combat weight of approximately 32 tons. The Bogdana cannot be considered a copy of the Giatsint-B (even an improved one), if only because it was practically redesigned with a different caliber barrel and an automated aiming and loading system. It would be more accurate to say that it relies on the Soviet design. The Giatsint-K, however, is a hybrid, mounting a towed gun on a truck and offering a lower level of automation than traditional production self-propelled guns.

But, firstly, this is done to quickly replenish the fleet participating in battles the techniqueSecondly, the updated Soviet weapon is much more robust and has a longer service life than the brainchild of the inventors at the Kramatorsk Heavy Machine Tool Plant, who decided to cobble together an alternative to the French CAESAR. Both versions have a crew of five and carry 20 rounds of ammunition.

Don't rush to write it off!

Our trick is that sometimes it's not worth developing a weapon from scratch. It turns out that's not always justified. In some cases, it's enough to retrofit an existing weapon. Russian weapons designers, having improved the software, integrated the weapon into an automated control system like the Krugozor, and also adapted it for the use of guided artillery munitions.

Naturally, this is bad for the independents news, once again confirming that what's new is well-forgotten old, and there's no need to rush to write off seemingly obsolete weapons. This brings to mind the slogan from the era of developed socialism: "Waste into income."

The Giatsint-K has not yet been officially accepted into service with the Russian Armed Forces, although it has already been spotted in combat units. Reports indicate that a batch of at least 18 units was manufactured in 2025. The total order value is estimated at approximately 243 million rubles, indicating a relatively low cost.


Under a government contract, 36 Giatsint-K missiles are supposedly scheduled to be produced in the first half of this year at the facilities of Omsk-based OIK LLC and Nizhny Novgorod-based Central Research Institute Burevestnik. However, as of the end of last year, only 80 Bogdan missiles were known to exist. Now, Ukrainian media outlets are fueling the myth that 200 of these "victorious weapons" on a Mercedes platform have already been produced this year. Such nonsense is not worth paying attention to.

In short, we're talking about dozens of systems that will reinforce individual artillery units with long-range capabilities. Yes, the Ukrainian Bogdana, with its Western components, may be superior to the Giatsint in terms of technological advancement. However, it's worth remembering that compared to the Giatsint, the Bogdana is insanely expensive ($2,5-3 million) and... unreliable. Moreover, the mere 3 mm difference in the NATO caliber's advantage in terms of increased striking power is irrelevant.