- Side
- Ukraine
U.S. security-assistance reporting listed 20,000 122 mm artillery rounds for Ukraine under USAI in December 2022 and later fact sheets continued listing 122 mm artillery rounds among committed fires-support ammunition.
Role detailsMunitions
122 mm artillery round
Also known as
- 122 mm howitzer ammunition
- 122 mm D-30 ammunition
- 122 mm 2S1 ammunition
- OF-462
- 53-OF-462
- 3VOF5
- 3VOF6
- 3OF56
The 122 mm artillery round is a family-level label for Soviet-origin medium-caliber artillery ammunition used by D-30-type towed howitzers and 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers. Manufacturer and military references describe separate-loading HE projectiles with full or reduced propelling charges, while U.S. security-assistance reporting documents 122 mm artillery rounds among ammunition committed to Ukraine and TWZ reporting describes a pair of 122 mm rounds as a standard AQ-400 Scythe payload.
Role in Conflicts
Profile / Specs
Profile
- Origin
- Soviet Union / international production
- Built in
- Soviet Unionmultiple countries
- Type
- 122 mm artillery ammunition
- Service note
- Cold War-origin artillery ammunition family in continued service
Specifications
- Caliber
- 122 mm
- Ammunition type
- Separate-loading artillery round for 122 mm guns and howitzers
- Common HE projectile family
- OF-462 / 53-OF-462 high-explosive fragmentation projectile family
- Full-charge round reference
- 3VOF5-equivalent complete round in MSM Group production data
- Reduced-charge round reference
- 3VOF6-equivalent complete round in MSM Group production data
- Typical projectile weight
- About 21.76 kg for OF-462 / 3OF56-class high-explosive projectiles
- Explosive fill
- About 3.6 kg TNT for OF-462-equivalent HE projectiles in MSM Group data; about 4.05 kg A-IX-2 for 3OF56 in public references
- Fuze fit
- RGM-2-type point-detonating fuzes are documented with common 122 mm HE-fragmentation ammunition including OF-462 and 3OF56
- Maximum range class
- About 15.3 to 15.4 km from D-30/2S1-class howitzers with conventional HE projectiles; 21.9 km with assisted projectiles
- Role
- Conventional high-explosive, smoke, illumination, HEAT, and assisted artillery payload family
Round And Charge Structure
For this family, the useful distinction is between the projectile body, the cartridge case, and the propelling charge. Public manufacturer data for D-30 and 2S1 ammunition treats OF-462-type HE projectiles as part of complete rounds that can be assembled with full or reduced charges.
Projectile
OF-462 / 53-OF-462 describes the common HE-fragmentation projectile family in the 122 mm D-30 and 2S1 ammunition set.
Complete round
MSM Group maps its full-charge and reduced-charge products to 3VOF5 and 3VOF6 equivalents.
Firing systems
D-30 and 2S1 references both document the standard 15.3 to 15.4 km range class and a longer assisted-projectile range band.
Variants
Open references use 122 mm artillery round as a family label. Individual designations usually separate the projectile body from the complete round and propelling charge.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| OF-462 / 53-OF-462 | Standard HE-fragmentation projectile family | MSM Group describes its 122 mm HE projectile for D-30 and 2S1 systems as equivalent to the original Soviet 53-OF-462 projectile. Sources: MSM Group 122 mm HE Ammunition for D-30 and 2S1 Gvozdika |
 | Improved HE-fragmentation projectile | FAS lists 3OF-56 in D-30 ammunition tables, and GICHD identifies 3OF56 alongside OF-462 in common 122 mm HE-fragmentation ordnance-recognition context for Ukraine. Sources: D-30 2A18M 122-mm Towed Howitzer - FAS, GICHD Explosive Ordnance Guide for Ukraine Third Edition |
Carrier UAVs
| Carrier | Carrier type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Long-range strike UAV | TWZ reports that the AQ-400 Scythe's standard payload can include a pair of 122 mm artillery rounds. Sources: Ukraine's Scythe Drone Is All About Striking Far Away As Cheaply As Possible |
Firing Weapons
The best-supported firing links are the Soviet D-30 towed howitzer family and the 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer, both of which use 122 mm separate-loading ammunition.
| Firing weapon | Weapon type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 122 mm towed howitzer | MSM Group markets 122 mm HE ammunition for the D-30, PM CAS lists the D-30's conventional and assisted range bands, and FAS describes the D-30's separate-loading 122 mm ammunition set. Sources: MSM Group 122 mm HE Ammunition for D-30 and 2S1 Gvozdika, PM CAS D-30 Product Page, D-30 2A18M 122-mm Towed Howitzer - FAS |
 | 122 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer | MSM Group identifies its 122 mm HE ammunition as compatible with the 2S1 Gvozdika, and Forecast International lists OF-462, smoke, illumination, HEAT, and rocket-assisted ammunition in the SO.122 / 2S1 set. Sources: MSM Group 122 mm HE Ammunition for D-30 and 2S1 Gvozdika, SO.122 (2S1) Gvozdika 122 mm Self-Propelled Howitzer |
Timeline
122 mm artillery round Key Events
D-30 service context
U.S. Army PM CAS describes the D-30 as a Warsaw Pact-designed 122 mm howitzer that entered service in the 1960s and fires HEAT, smoke, illumination, and chemical projectiles.
Sources: PM CAS D-30 Product Page
2S1 ammunition set documented
Forecast International's 2S1 profile lists OF-462 high explosive, BK-6M HEAT-FS, D-462 smoke, S-462 illumination, and rocket-assisted ammunition in the SO.122 / 2S1 ammunition set.
Sources: SO.122 (2S1) Gvozdika 122 mm Self-Propelled Howitzer
Ukraine ordnance-recognition context
GICHD's Ukraine explosive-ordnance guide describes RGM-2 fuzes with common 122 mm HE-fragmentation artillery ammunition such as OF-462 and 3OF56.
Sources: GICHD Explosive Ordnance Guide for Ukraine Third Edition
U.S. aid fact sheet lists 122 mm rounds
A U.S. Department of Defense Ukraine security-assistance fact sheet lists 122 mm artillery rounds among committed fires-support ammunition for Ukraine.
Sources: DOD Ukraine Fact Sheet May 24 2024
Media
122 mm artillery round Images
Related Weapon Systems
Sources
Ukraine's Scythe Drone Is All About Striking Far Away As Cheaply As PossiblePublisher: The War Zone | Note: Supports the AQ-400 Scythe carrying a pair of 122 mm artillery rounds as a standard payload. | Accessed: 2026-06-23DOD Ukraine Fact Sheet May 24 2024Publisher: U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Supports 122 mm artillery rounds committed to Ukraine as part of fires-support assistance during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Ukraine Getting Patriot Battery, Other Defense WeaponsPublisher: U.S. Department of War | Note: Supports 20,000 122 mm artillery rounds supplied to Ukraine during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through a December 2022 U.S. security-assistance announcement. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Produse - RomarmPublisher: ROMARM | Note: Supports the 122 mm artillery ammunition family, its use with field guns and howitzers, and the fact that ROMARM produces 122 mm artillery ammunition. | Accessed: 2026-06-23Armament și muniții calibru mediu și mare - RomarmPublisher: ROMARM | Note: Supports the 122 mm artillery round relationship by describing 122 mm explosive projectiles for the D-30 122 mm howitzer. | Accessed: 2026-06-28ANA forward observers, artillery, FDC hit the mark during joint training in NuristanPublisher: The United States Army | Note: Supports the 122 mm artillery round relationship by showing a D-30 122 mm howitzer firing rounds during training. | Accessed: 2026-06-28PM CAS D-30 Product PagePublisher: U.S. Army Capability Program Executive Ammunition & Energetics | Note: Supports D-30 firing-system context, conventional and assisted range figures, service-era context, and projectile class references. | Accessed: 2026-07-01MSM Group 122 mm HE Ammunition for D-30 and 2S1 GvozdikaPublisher: MSM Group | Note: Supports 122 mm HE ammunition structure for D-30 and 2S1 Gvozdika, OF-462 / 53-OF-462 equivalence, 3VOF5 and 3VOF6 complete-round references, projectile weight, explosive fill, charge options, and firing range. | Accessed: 2026-07-01D-30 2A18M 122-mm Towed Howitzer - FASPublisher: Federation of American Scientists | Note: Supports D-30 ammunition-family context, separate-loading ammunition, OF-56 / 3OF-56 projectile weights, RGM-2 fuzing, conventional range, and assisted-projectile range. | Accessed: 2026-07-01GICHD Explosive Ordnance Guide for Ukraine Third EditionPublisher: Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining | Note: Supports Ukraine explosive-ordnance recognition context for OF-462 and 3OF56 122 mm HE-fragmentation ammunition and RGM-2 fuze use; the guide notes that entries may include confirmed, likely, or reportedly intended items. | Accessed: 2026-07-01SO.122 (2S1) Gvozdika 122 mm Self-Propelled HowitzerPublisher: Forecast International | Note: Supports 2S1 Gvozdika ammunition compatibility with OF-462 high explosive, BK-6M HEAT-FS, D-462 smoke, S-462 illumination, and rocket-assisted ammunition. | Accessed: 2026-07-01122 H 38 shell.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a 122 mm artillery shell photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-23122 mm OF-462.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a second 122 mm artillery shell image. | Accessed: 2026-06-23