Russian Defense Ministry tests smoke shell surpassing its French counterpart

MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/. The Russian Defense Ministry has patented and tested a new artillery smoke shell, eliminating the shortcomings of its French counterpart for the Caesar self-propelled howitzer, according to a document reviewed by TASS.

"The invention relates to the field of military technology, specifically to field artillery munitions of various calibers that can be used in aerosol-generating shells designed to create smoke screens, obscuring (blinding) fire control and optical systems, command and observation posts, and optoelectronic reconnaissance, target acquisition and weapon control systems operating in the infrared wavelength range," the patent description states.

It says that "field tests confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed technical solutions." "The objective of the invention is to eliminate the shortcomings <…> [of the LU217MS 155-mm smoke round for the Caesar self-propelled howitzer] and to create an aerosol-generating round for high-powered artillery systems that ensures the required smoke screen parameters and improves operational effectiveness and reliability," the developers state.

The projectile itself consists of a casing with a blind groove running along its inner cylindrical surface, a detachable base, a remote-firing fuse, an ejection mechanism, elements with through-grooves containing the smoke charge, and igniter ports for the axial ignition devices.