The 2S5 Giatsint-S 152mm calibre self-propelled gun was one of the heaviest artillery pieces deployed by the Soviet Army in Afghanistan. Developed in the early 1970s to replace older, towed pieces, it was mounted on the same chassis as the 2K11 Krug (ASCC/NATO reporting name ‘SA-4 Ganef’) medium range surface-to-air missiles and possessed good cross-country mobility. The vehicle could carry 30 152mm calibre shells, each of which could reach a range of 28km, or 33–40km with rocket-assisted projectiles. Self-defence armament consisted of a single PKT 7.62mm calibre machine gun. A single vehicle had a crew of five, could go into action within three minutes of stopping and had a rate of fire of 5–6 rounds per minute. (Artwork by David Boquelet)