Battle of Honey Springs

The 2B9 Vasilek (2Б9 "Василёк" - Cornflower) is an automatic 82 mm gun-mortar developed in the Soviet Union in 1967 and fielded with the Soviet Army in 1970.

Description

It was based on the F-82 automatic mortar. The 2B9 is a semiautomatic breechloader that makes use of 4-round clips or is loaded with individual rounds.[2] Rounds can be loaded from either the muzzle or the breech. Because of its wheeled carriage, the 2B9 resembles a light artillery piece more than a conventional mortar.

The 2B9 was used in Afghanistan[3] by Soviet units and is still found in Russian airmobile infantry units. In the fighting in Afghanistan, Soviet units found the 2B9 to be a versatile and useful weapon.[4] The 2B9 can fire high-explosive, armor-piercing, smoke, and illumination rounds. The armor-piercing projectile, which weighs 3.1 kg (6.8 lb), has a 75 g (2.6 oz) warhead that can penetrate 100 mm (3.9 in) of armor.[5] Upon blast, the high-explosive shell produces 400 to 600 fragments.

The 2B9 can be towed but is usually carried on a modified GAZ-66.[6] By 1988, the 2B9 was also deployed as a self-propelled weapon by mounting the gun-mortar in the rear of an MT-LB armored personnel carrier.[7]

During the Syrian Civil War, the 2B9M Vasilek was used by the Syrian Armed Forces, Kurdish People's Protection Units, and the Islamist group Ansar al-Sham. The latter used a 2B9M automatic mortar near Mount Chalma, Kesab district.[8]

Variants

  • 2B9 Vasilek – Basic model
    • 2B9M Vasilek – Modernised version introduced in 1982, and adopted in 1983.[8]
  • DE-82 - upgraded Hungarian version developed in 1987.[6]
  • Type W99 – 2B9 Vasilek produced in the People's Republic of China by Norinco.[9]

Operators

Map with 2B9 operators in blue with former operators in red

Current operators

Former operators

Notes

Citations

  1. ^ a b Kinard (2007), p. 481.
  2. ^ Kinard (2007), p. 306.
  3. ^ Campbell, David (30 November 2017). Soviet Paratrooper vs Mujahideen Fighter: Afghanistan 1979–89. Combat 29. Osprey Publishing. p. 19. ISBN 9781472817648.
  4. ^ "fmso.leavenworth.army.mil". Archived from the original on 5 November 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  5. ^ Leland Ness (ed.), Jane's Infantry Weapons 2007–2008, pp. 556–557, Surrey: Jane's Information Group, 2007
  6. ^ a b c d Lovass, Ernő; Jenzen-Jones, N.R. (3 September 2018). "Soviet 2B9M Vasilek self-loading mortar". armamentresearch.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  7. ^ "sill-www.army.mil" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
  8. ^ a b c Jenzen-Jones, N.R.; Lyamin, Yuri (18 June 2014). "2B9M Vasilek automatic mortar in service with Ansar al-Sham in Syria". armamentresearch.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  9. ^ Blasko, Dennis J. (2013). The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century. Routledge. p. 140. ISBN 9781136519970.
  10. ^ "The Fight For Nagorno-Karabakh: Documenting Losses On The Sides Of Armenia And Azerbaijan". Oryx Blog. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  11. ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (February 2016). The Military Balance 2016. Vol. 116. Routledge. p. 491. ISBN 9781857438352.
  12. ^ Military & Defense. "Peshmerga Military Equipment". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  13. ^ How the "Cornflower" fires 13/11/14. Novorossia TV. 13 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  14. ^ "Vídeo of DPR militia using 2B9 Vasilek". YouTube. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2014.

References

  • Kinard, Jeff (2007). Artillery: An Illustrated History of Its Impact. Weapons and Warfare. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781851095612.

External links