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New Russian Malva Howitzers Spotted in Mass Shipment Amid Russian Push for Cheaper Firepower
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![Vlad Litnarovych]( "Vlad Litnarovych")
Russia’s defense industry has ramped up production of its new 2S43 Malva self-propelled howitzers, according to a report by Ukrainian military outlet Militarnyi, citing Russian sources on April 4.
The Telegram channel btvt.info published a photo showing a rail shipment of at least eight of these artillery systems, reportedly taken in February.
“The footage from about a month and a half ago shows that production of wheeled self-propelled howitzers in Russia is progressing,” the report stated.
It’s possible the train also carried 2S44 Giatsint-K systems, which share the same chassis and are largely unified in design with the Malva.
The howitzer is mounted on a BAZ-6910-011 wheeled chassis, produced by the Bryansk Automobile Plant—an industrial facility that has previously been targeted by Ukrainian drone strikes.
Thanks to its wheeled platform and simplified artillery design, the Malva is reportedly easier and cheaper to produce than its tracked counterparts.
Instead of the standard 152mm 2A64 howitzer, the Malva uses the long-range 2A36 Giatsint-B gun, compensating for earlier limitations in firing range. With conventional high-explosive shells, it can strike targets up to 30.5 km away, and up to 33.1 km with rocket-assisted projectiles.
The development of the Malva began in the 2010s at Russia’s Burevestnik Central Research Institute under the “Nabrosok” project, with testing starting in 2020.
The howitzer lacks additional armor or a turret, which helps keep its weight down—at 32 tons with a 30-round ammunition load, it is roughly 25% lighter than the tracked Msta-S.
Earlier, in December 2024, Ukraine’s Flying Skull drone unit destroyed a rare Malva system using two FPV drones.
