Profile
- Type
- 122 mm towed field howitzer
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Service note
- Introduced in 1938; legacy Soviet artillery still appearing in later conflicts
Artillery
122 mm M-30 howitzer
The 122 mm M-30 howitzer is a Soviet split-trail towed field howitzer designed before World War II and produced in large numbers by Soviet plants. Its appearance in the Nagorno-Karabakh archive reflects the continued battlefield use of older Soviet artillery stocks by Armenian/Artsakh forces alongside newer 122 mm systems.
- Built by
- Plant No. 9 and Plant No. 92
- Built in
- Soviet Union
Service History
- In service
- 1938-present in legacy service with multiple operators
- Used by
- Armenian / Artsakh forces
- Wars
- Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- Motovilikha Plant design group led by F. F. Petrov
- Designed
- 1937-1938
- Built by
- Plant No. 9 and Plant No. 92
- Built in
- Soviet Union
- Produced
- 1939-1955
- Number built
- About 19,266
- Variants
- M-30, M-30S, Type 54
Specifications
- Caliber
- 121.92 mm
- Maximum range
- 11.8 km
- Combat weight
- About 2,500 kg
- Rate of fire
- 5-6 rounds per minute
- Crew
- 7
- Carriage
- Split-trail towed carriage
Conflict Usage
- Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
- Side: ArmeniaArtsakhRole: Towed tube-artillery fire support
Documented in Armenian-side equipment losses during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, with Oryx listing one 122 mm M-30 howitzer as damaged.
122 mm M-30 howitzer Images
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122 mm howitzer M-30Publisher: National Defence University of Ukraine | Note: Supports manufacturer, service, design background, and specifications for the M-30 howitzer. | Accessed: 2026-06-20122mm M-30Publisher: Weaponsystems.net | Note: Supports M-30 firepower, range, and general system background. | Accessed: 2026-06-20122 mm Howitzer M1938 (M-30) Field GunPublisher: World War II Database | Note: Supports dimensions, weight, caliber, rate of fire, and range specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20The Fight For Nagorno-KarabakhPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict direct-use evidence that the 122 mm M-30 howitzer was used by Armenia / Artsakh; Oryx lists one Armenian-side M-30 as damaged. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons M-30 Bulgarian Museum ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the primary M-30 howitzer image; the file is licensed CC BY 4.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons Sapun Mountain M-30 ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a museum-displayed 122 mm M1938 (M-30); the file is licensed CC BY 3.0/GFDL. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commons Nizhny Novgorod M-30 ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a distinct M-30 monument view; the file is licensed CC BY-SA 2.5. | Accessed: 2026-06-20