Russia Completes Development of Krasnopol-M2 Guided Artillery Ammunition

Russia has completed development of the Krasnopol-M2 laser guided 155 round which is often referred to as “sniper’s artillery” due to its high precision strike capability.

The Russian MoD revealed this development as part of statement on “high precision munitions,” this Saturday. “ Barrel artillery is being improved by developing a new type of high-precision ammunition to selectively engage certain important targets. The development of Krasnopol-M2 guided artillery shell, which is superior to its predecessor (Krasnopol) in its main characteristics, has already been completed and is being effectively used during the special military operation.”

The report accompanied a video showing artillery guns firing rounds guided by a drone and hitting moving and static targets including relatively small sized ones.

While the Krasnopol-M2 has been used in Ukraine since the middle of 2023, it has had some problems such as finding targets effectively in low clouds.

“Low clouds have been the key limiting factor in the round’s performance because its laser detector does not have time to spot the laser energy and manoeuvre for striking. The Russian industry will likely attempt to improve Krasnopol’s flight performance and reduce the round’s laser detection time,” a  UK Defence Intelligence review noted on November 14.

A Russian industry source told defensemirror.com that Krasnopol-M2 together with the “Malakhit” automated artillery fire control system (AAFCS) provides target detection and illumination, automated target range calculation and firing data input.

Referring to recent reports that the production of Krasnopol-M has been ramped up for deployment in Ukraine, he said this gives an opportunity to its designers (High Precision Weapons KBP) to study the operation of the shell in various types of battlefield conditions.

“You can expect an increased number of precision hits following alterations to its target seeking system based on user experience during the special military operations.”

A pro-Russian Telegram channel quoted a soldier who called the Krasnopol “a very dangerous, very worthy weapon” and that, it successfully hit a roaming 120-mm mortar used by the enemy. The mortar launcher is a relative small target about the size of a MANPAD.