122 mm artillery round

The 122 mm artillery round is a family-level label for Soviet-origin medium-caliber artillery ammunition used by howitzers and other 122 mm artillery systems. In open-source reporting on the AQ-400 Scythe, the round appears as a standard carried payload, usually described as a pair of 122 mm artillery rounds rather than a specific named shell model.

122 mm artillery round, 122 mm artillery ammunition, Munitions

Image source: 122 H 38 shell.JPG

Profile

Origin: Soviet Union / international production
Built by: Various Soviet and international producers
Built in: Soviet Unionmultiple countries
Type: 122 mm artillery ammunition
Service note: Cold War-origin artillery ammunition family in continued service

artillery ammunition 122 mm unguided

Specifications

Caliber: 122 mm
Ammunition type: Separate-loading artillery round for 122 mm guns and howitzers
Typical projectile weight: About 21.4 to 21.8 kg for standard Soviet-pattern high-explosive projectiles
Fuze fit: Compatible with 122 mm artillery fuzes, including family-specific fuze arrangements
Maximum range class: About 15.3 to 15.4 km from standard D-30-type howitzers with conventional high-explosive projectiles
Role: Conventional high-explosive, smoke, illumination, and related artillery payload family

Service And Conflict Use

Service History

In service: Used with D-30 and related 122 mm artillery systems; public reporting also describes it as payload carried by the AQ-400 Scythe
Used by: Artillery units using 122 mm howitzers and compatible launch systems

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

122 mm artillery round Images

122 mm artillery round, 122 mm artillery ammunition, Munitions - view 1 — Source: 122 H 38 shell.JPG

122 mm artillery round, 122 mm artillery ammunition, Munitions - view 2 — Source: 122 mm OF-462.jpg

Related Weapon Systems

3OF56 122 mm Frag-HE Rocket Assisted Projectile, 122 mm rocket-assisted high-explosive fragmentation projectile, Munitions

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BR-471 122 mm armor-piercing projectile, 122 mm armor-piercing projectile, Munitions

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Cartridge 122 mm HE with reduced charge, 122 mm separate-loaded high-explosive artillery cartridge, Munitions

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OF-462, 122 mm high-explosive fragmentation shell, Munitions

MunitionsOF-462122 mm high-explosive fragmentation shellOF-462 is a Soviet 122 mm high-explosive fragmentation shell used in 122 mm howitzer ammunition families. Wikipedia's D-30 table lists OF-462 at 21.76 kg with 3.675 kg of TNT and 690 m/s from maximum propellant charge, while the A-19 ammunition table says the gun could fire 122 mm howitzer shells and lists OF-462 at 765 m/s with charge no. 1. STV Group later describes an HE-462 projectile equivalent to OF-462, showing the same round family in current export ammunition documentation.

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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: 2026-06-23 Produse - 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: 2026-06-23 122 H 38 shell.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a 122 mm artillery shell photograph. | Accessed: 2026-06-23 122 mm OF-462.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a second 122 mm artillery shell image. | Accessed: 2026-06-23