Unit of the Week #7 - 2S3 Akatsiya

Soviet 152 mm self-propelled gun-howitzer (SPG) aimed for suppression and destruction of the enemy's manpower, artillery and tanks. 2S3 Akatsiya entered service of the Soviet Army in 1971.

The vehicle is armed with a 152 mm howitzer D-22 based on a modified variant of the 152 mm D-20 towed gun-howitzer. The main gun can be elevated from −4° to +60° with a turret traverse of a full 360°.
The Akatsiya can fire high explosive projectiles at a maximum range of 18.5 km depending of used charge or rocket assisted projectiles up to 24 km.

In the 50s, the major military doctrine of the USSR was a large-scale nuclear war and the development of artillery was not given due attention. This remained until the late 1960s, when the Soviet military industry started developing its own SPG in response to the already in service of the U.S. Army 155-mm M109 self-propelled howitzer which was capable of firing nuclear projectiles.

2S3 Akatsiya SPGs were exported to foreign countries. It is currently in service with a number of countries, including Russia.
https://youtu.be/FnPmHDeUj30