The show, to open on July 6, will present unique self-propelled guns, such as the Msta-M1 howitzer, fitted out with an automatic fire control system. A Msta version modified to fit the NATO 155mm caliber shell will also be on display.
Another exhibit expected to draw the attention of potential buyers is the upgraded self-propelled howitzer AS3M2 Akatsia, which many foreign armies have in their arsenals already. At the Nizhni Tagil show, the gun's electronic version will be introduced.
The Akatsia is provided with an automatic fire control system, a satellite navigation system, and a electronic combat map.
Yuri Tomashov, chief designer of Uraltransmash, the company that manufactures both the Msta and the Akatsia, has pointed out that while in the past, Russian-made artillery guns excelled Western counterparts in terms of running and firing performance, but were equipped with fewer automatic control systems, now they have no equals in this latter aspect, too. Advanced electronic hardware allows Russian artillery systems to carry out mobile combat operations, changing position every other minute. Their longevity thus increases by a factor of five.
Uraltransmash has one other treat in store for the Nizhny Tagil show. It is going to present its caterpillar minelayer GMZ-3, with no analogues in the world.
