2S3 Akatsiya SO - 152 ( СО - 152 ) is a Soviet 152 . 4 mm self - propelled artillery developed in 1968 . It was a response to the American 155 mm M109 . The development started in 1967 according to the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of USSR from July 4 , 1967 . In 1968 the SO - 152 was completed and in 1971 entered service . Its GRAU designation is 2S3 ( 2С3 ) . The fighting vehicle also received the additional designation Akatsiya ( Акация ) , which is Russian for acacia . Description . Designated " M1973 " by the U . S . Army , the " Akatsiya " is armed with a 152 . 4 mm howitzer based on the Soviet 152 . 4 mm D - 20 howitzer and is sometimes confused with the M109 self - propelled artillery . The artillery system was developed at the design bureau No . 9 of Kalinin Machine - Building Plant in Sverdlovsk . The factory designation of the howitzer is D - 22 and the GRAU designation , 2A33 . The chassis was developed by Uraltransmash . Driver ' s and engine - transmission compartments are located in a front part of a hull , fighting compartment with rotatory turret – in middle and rear parts of the hull . The armour is welded rolled steel . Howitzer is equipped with R - 123 radio set , R - 124 intercom , automatic NBC system with filtration unit and fire - fighting equipment . The V - 59 12 - cylinder four - stroke water - cooled diesel engine connects with a mechanical twin gear transmission , a gear box is in one block with a planetary steering gear . The 2S3 has self - entrenching equipment which allows to prepare a trench within 20 – 40 min . The crew consists of 4 – 6 men : a driver , a gunner , a loader , a commander , and two ammunition bearers , which are positioned to the rear of the vehicle feeding rounds through two hatches in the hull rear when in masked firing position . Armament . The 152 . 4 mm L / 27 howitzer D - 22 ( 2A33 ) can be elevated from −4° to + 60° with a turret traverse of a full 360° . Rate of fire is 2 . 6 – 3 . 5 rounds / min depending on firing conditions . The howitzer is equipped with a double - baffle muzzle brake , a semi - automatic vertical wedge breechblock and an ejector . The 2S3 has a periscopic sight and telescopic sight of direct pointing . The howitzer has separate type of loading with ammunition ( 35 rounds , later increased to up to 46 ) arranged in two mechanized stowages ( in the turret and in the rear of the hull ) . The " Akatsiya " can fire OF - 540 and OF - 25 HE - Frag 43 . 56 kg projectiles ( also all types of rounds developed for 152 . 4 mm towed howitzer - guns ML - 20 and D - 20 , and for towed howitzer D - 1 ) at a maximum range of 18 . 5 km depending of used charge or rocket assisted projectiles to a maximum of 24 km . Other projectiles available to the " Akatsiya " include BP - 540 HEAT - FS ( sight distance is 3 km , 250 mm armor penetration ) , Br - 540B and Br - 540 AP - T ( 115 – 120 mm armor penetration at a 1000 m ) , OF - 38 " Krasnopol " laser - guided rocket - assisted projectiles , S1 illuminating , ZH3 smoke , nuclear projectiles ( with explosive capacity of 2 kt ) . Secondary armament consists of a remotely controlled 7 . 62 mm PKT tank machine gun on commander ' s cupola for anti - aircraft defence and self - defence at close range . Maneuverability . The " Akatsiya " chassis is based on that of the Object 123 tracked chassis of the 2K11 " Krug " surface - to - air missile system ; it includes six ( rather than seven as in the 2K11 " Krug " ) twin rubber - tired road wheels , four rubber - tired return rollers ( two single and two twin ) , front drive sprocket with detachable sprocket rings ( lantern - wheel gear ) and idler wheel per side . The track is 14 . 375 m long , 482 mm wide and has 115 links . The " Akatsiya " can cross 0 . 7 m high vertical obstacles , 3 . 0 m wide trenches , 1 . 05 m fording depth and climb 30° gradients . < ref name = " http : / / legion . wplus . net / guide / army / ar / 2s3 . shtml " > 152 - мм самоходная гаубица 2С3 " Акация " ( 2S3 Akatsiya 152 mm self - propelled artillery system ) < / ref > < ref name = " http : / / armoured . vif2 . ru / 2s3 . htm " > Самоходная артиллерийская установка 2С3 " Акация " < / ref > It can be transported by transport plane An - 22 ( carries two self - propelled howitzers of this type ) . Series production . Two Object 303 prototypes were built in the end of 1968 . Factory tests finished in October 1969 , and discovered strong gas contamination of the fighting compartment during intensive gunnery , especially during the use of small charges . As a result , army inspectors did not accept four SO - 152s built in summer 1969 for ground tests . The problem of gas contamination was solved , allowing the SO - 152 to enter service of the Soviet Army in 1971 . The first three serial 2S3s were built by Uraltransmash in the end of 1970 , and in 1971 nine were produced . The works received an order for 70 2S3 in 1973 . The mass production finished in 1993 . Service and combat history . Former USSR . The 2S3 was intended for inventory of artillery regiments of Soviet tank and motor rifle divisions . At first only one gun battalion of each artillery regiment was equipped with the " Akatsiya " ( 18 self - propelled howitzers ) . By the end of 1980s however self - propelled artillery regiments of Soviet first echelon tank and motor rifle divisions ( e . g . those belonging to the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany ) each had 36 or 54 self - propelled howitzers of this type ( 2 or 3 gun battalions ) . So for example the following artillery regiments all had 54 " Akatsiya " on their strength : While the regiments below only had 36 " Akatsiya : And the 286th Guards Red Banner Prague howitzer artillery brigade stationed in Potsdam was equipped with no less than 72 " Akatsiya " . Russia . In 2007 the Russian Army had 1 , 002 2S3 in active service and more than 1 , 000 in storage and the Russian Navy ( marines ) had 400 2S3 in active service and more than 600 in storage . As of now the " Akatsiya " are used by the following units of the Russian Army or are stationed in following bases ( incomplete list ) : As of now the " Akatsiya " are used by the following units of the Russian Navy or are stationed in following bases ( incomplete list ) : All the equipment of 817th self - propelled artillery regiment of 62nd Russian military base of the North Caucasus Military District was withdrawn from Akhalkalaki , Georgia in 2006 according to the Russian - Georgian Sochi agreement , the regiment had 30 " Akatsiya " and it had planned to relocate some of its self - propelled artillery to 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri , Armenia . At the moment the 2S3 is considered as outdated because of insufficient range of fire in comparison with modern self - propelled artillery . The modernized variant 2S3 armed with a new 155 mm M - 385 howitzer was developed in 2000 and 2 gun battalions of the Russian Army ( including one of the 2nd Taman motor rifle division ) have been reequipped with the 2S3M2 in 2006 . Combat history . The 2S3 became a well - known self - propelled artillery after combat operations in Afghanistan where it proved to be an effective and reliable artillery system . 2S3s were used quite successfully during two Chechen wars and military conflicts on the territory of former USSR . Operators and former operators . 2S3 " Akatsiya " SPGs were exported to foreign countries but in a relatively small amount .