Artillery

122 mm M-30 howitzer

Also known as
  • 122 mm howitzer M1938
  • M1938 M-30
  • 52-G-463
  • 122 mm howitzer model 1938
  • Type 54 howitzer

The 122 mm M-30 howitzer is a Soviet split-trail towed field howitzer designed by F. F. Petrov's Motovilikha team and serially produced from 1939. Its 11.8 km range, simple carriage, and wide postwar distribution kept it visible long after newer 122 mm guns appeared, with documented recent appearances in Russian, Syrian, YPG, and Armenian/Artsakh conflict records.

122 mm M-30 howitzer, 122 mm towed field howitzer, Artillery
Image source: Commons M-30 Bulgarian Museum Image

Role in Conflicts

Recent Service Context

The M-30's modern catalog relevance comes from documented residual stocks rather than new production. The strongest recent records identify the exact M-30 designation in loss lists, delivery reporting, photographed inventories, or specialist reporting on reactivated Russian artillery.

Ukraine

Oryx lists a Russian 122 mm howitzer M1938 (M-30) as damaged, while Army Recognition reported later Russian reactivation and redeployment of M-30 guns for the Ukraine war.

Syria

Oryx documents Russian M-30 deliveries to Syrian government-linked forces, a YPG-held M-30 in northern Syria, and a Wagner/Syrian government M-30 destroyed at Conoco Fields.

Nagorno-Karabakh

Oryx lists one Armenian-side 122 mm M-30 howitzer as damaged during the 2020 war, supporting the Armenian/Artsakh compact conflict row.

Sources: Attack On Europe: Russian Equipment Losses; Russia Brings Back M-30 Howitzers; Syria Rearms: Russian Deliveries Of BMP-2s And 2S9s Arrive; Kurdish Armour: Inventorising YPG Equipment In Northern Syria; Documenting Equipment Losses During The Battle Of Conoco Fields; The Fight For Nagorno-Karabakh.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
122 mm towed field howitzer
Service note
Introduced in 1938; World War II Soviet artillery design retained in later regional conflicts
Designer
Motovilikha Plant design group led by F. F. Petrov
Designed
1937-1938
Produced
1939-1955
Number built
About 19,266

Specifications

GAU index
52-G-463
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
Ammunition load
80 rounds listed by National Defence University of Ukraine
Carriage
Split-trail towed carriage
Variants

The M-30 family includes the baseline towed howitzer, the M-30S barrel installation used on the SU-122, and Chinese Type 54 production derived from the Soviet design.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
M-30Baseline towed field howitzer

The standard 122 mm howitzer model 1938 carried the GAU index 52-G-463 and was serially produced from 1939.

Sources: 122 mm howitzer M-30

M-30SSelf-propelled gun barrel installation

National Defence University of Ukraine describes the M-30 as the gun mounted on the SU-122 self-propelled artillery installation.

Sources: 122 mm howitzer M-30

Type 54Chinese-produced derivative

World War II Database identifies China's Type 54 howitzer as based on the Soviet M-30 design supplied by Russia after World War II.

Sources: 122 mm Howitzer M1938 (M-30) Field Gun

Ammunition Fired

The M-30's recent relevance is tied to older 122 mm ammunition stocks as much as to the gun itself.

AmmunitionAmmunition typeFiring evidence
OF-462, 122 mm high-explosive fragmentation shell, MunitionsOF-462122 mm HE-fragmentation shell

Army Recognition identifies OF-462 as one of the ammunition types developed for and fired by the M-30 howitzer.

Sources: Russia Brings Back M-30 Howitzers

The linked OF-462 entry covers the shell as a separate munition record; this M-30 page keeps the relationship at the firing-system level.

Sources: Russia Brings Back M-30 Howitzers

Successor 122 mm Howitzers

The D-30 is not an M-30 variant, but sources describe it as the later Soviet 122 mm howitzer that replaced or supplemented M-30-type divisional artillery.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
D-30 122 mm howitzer, 122 mm towed howitzer, ArtilleryD-30 122 mm howitzerLater 122 mm towed howitzer

Weaponsystems.net states that the D-30 supplemented the M-30 in Soviet service from 1960, while World War II Database describes the D-30 as the M-30's 1960 replacement.

Sources: 122mm M-30, 122 mm Howitzer M1938 (M-30) Field Gun

Timeline

122 mm M-30 howitzer Key Events

  1. Petrov group begins improved design

    National Defence University of Ukraine traces the improved 122 mm howitzer assignment to a Motovilikha design group led by F. F. Petrov in September 1937.

  2. M-30 enters Soviet service

    The Ukrainian university reference lists the 122 mm M-30 as entering service in 1938.

  3. Serial production begins

    The M-30 entered serial production in 1939 and remained in production through the mid-1950s.

  4. Russian deliveries to Syrian forces reported

    Oryx reported that Russian deliveries to Syria included World War II-era 122 mm M-30 howitzers for Syrian Arab Army-linked forces.

  5. Armenian-side loss documented

    Oryx listed one Armenian-side 122 mm M-30 howitzer damaged during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.

  6. Russian invasion loss list includes M-30

    Oryx's 2014 Russia-Ukraine War loss list includes a Russian 122 mm howitzer M1938 (M-30) as damaged.

  7. Specialist reporting describes renewed Russian M-30 use

    Army Recognition reported that Russian forces had released M-30 footage in August 2024 and that more guns were confirmed as redeployed in April 2025.

Media

122 mm M-30 howitzer Images

122 mm M-30 howitzer, 122 mm towed field howitzer, Artillery - view 1
Source: Commons Sapun Mountain M-30 Image
122 mm M-30 howitzer, 122 mm towed field howitzer, Artillery - view 2
Source: Commons Nizhny Novgorod M-30 Image
Related Weapon Systems
152 mm ML-20, 152 mm towed gun-howitzer, ArtilleryArtillery152 mm ML-20152 mm towed gun-howitzerThe 152 mm ML-20 is a Soviet heavy towed gun-howitzer designed at Plant No. 172 in Motovilikha under F. F. Petrov and adopted in 1937. It combined a 152.4 mm barrel, split-trail carriage, large muzzle brake, separate-loading ammunition, and a 17.2 km high-explosive range in a weapon built for corps and army artillery. Its modern catalog relevance comes from residual stock use: Ukrainian reporting in October 2025 documented Russian forces towing and losing an ML-20 in Donetsk region during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.
152 mm D-1 gun-howitzer, Towed 152 mm howitzer, ArtilleryArtillery152 mm D-1 gun-howitzerTowed 152 mm howitzerThe 152 mm D-1 gun-howitzer is a Soviet towed heavy howitzer that put a short 152.4 mm ordnance on a lighter split-trail carriage. Its modern record is mostly residual-use evidence: Russia drew D-1 guns from stocks during the full-scale phase of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, while open loss records tie the same World War II-era system to Armenian/Artsakh equipment in 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh and Syrian government artillery losses in the 2011 Syrian Civil War.
122 mm artillery round, 122 mm artillery ammunition, MunitionsMunitions122 mm artillery round122 mm artillery ammunitionThe 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.

Sources

122 mm howitzer M-30Publisher: National Defence University of Ukraine | Note: Supports manufacturer, service, design background, SU-122 installation context, and specifications for the M-30 howitzer. | Accessed: 2026-07-06122mm M-30Publisher: Weaponsystems.net | Note: Supports M-30 firepower, range, and general system background. | Accessed: 2026-07-06122 mm Howitzer M1938 (M-30) Field GunPublisher: World War II Database | Note: Supports dimensions, weight, caliber, rate of fire, range specifications, and Chinese Type 54 derivative context. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Attack On Europe: Russian Equipment LossesPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use evidence by listing a Russian 122 mm howitzer M1938 (M-30) as damaged during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Russia Brings Back M-30 HowitzersPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context by reporting Russian M-30 use footage and later redeployment; also supports M-30 ammunition, range, rate-of-fire, breech, recoil, carriage, elevation, traverse, and OF-462 relationship context. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Syria Rearms: Russian Deliveries Of BMP-2s And 2S9s ArrivePublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct-use context by documenting Russian delivery of 122 mm M-30 howitzers to Syrian Arab Army-linked 5th Corps forces during the conflict. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Kurdish Armour: Inventorising YPG Equipment In Northern SyriaPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct-use context by documenting one 122 mm M-30 howitzer in YPG equipment in northern Syria. | Accessed: 2026-07-06Documenting Equipment Losses During The Battle Of Conoco FieldsPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct-use evidence by listing a Wagner/Syrian government 122 mm M-30 howitzer destroyed during the Battle of Conoco Fields. | Accessed: 2026-07-06The Fight For Nagorno-KarabakhPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2020 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: 2026-07-06Commons 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: 2026-07-06Commons 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: 2026-07-06Commons 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: 2026-07-06