Russian army chiefs have shown off what they claim to be the world’s most powerful mortar – and its calibre is so strong it can even fire nuclear weapons.
The latest display of Russian firepower was made possible after the country’s Supreme High Command dusted off their 240-millimetre self-propelled mortars and revamped them for modern military service.
Video Credit: CEN/@TVZvezda – Ministry of Defense of Russia
It included linking them with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to allow them to identify targets with pinpoint accuracy up to 40 kilometres away (25 miles), and they were also refurbished with the latest military technology.
The upgrade of the devices first put into service in 1971 during the Soviet era will be completed by next year (2020). And during the testing phase – as the footage shows – the army carried out attacks on 150 targets that would have reportedly been impossible to hit using other weapons in the military arsenal.
Reportedly every one of the targets was successfully destroyed. The footage of the exercise shows the huge 2C4 ‘Tulip’ self-propelled mortars being loaded with a selection of munitions including armour-piercing shells and high explosives. Nuclear munitions can also reportedly be loaded into the devices although that was not done on this occasion.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence confirmed that the ‘Tulip’ has the ability to fire normal high-explosive ordnance, Sayda incendiary mines, and active-reactive mines with an increased range of fire. The calibre of 240 millimetres reportedly allows the mortar to also shoot nuclear weapons which are the equivalent of two kilotonnes of TNT.
It is currently the highest calibre mortar in the world and was only surpassed by the 2B1 Oka device (420 mm) in calibre which is a device that is no longer in service.
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Story By: Elena Kalioglo, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
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