Munitions

OF23 cargo projectile

Also known as
  • 3-O-23
  • 3O23
  • O23
  • O-23
  • 3VO28
  • 3VO29
  • 3VO30
  • 3-O-23 cargo projectile

The OF23, also cataloged as 3-O-23 or O23, is a Soviet/Russian 152 mm cargo artillery projectile for Msta-family artillery ammunition. Open references describe the projectile as a base-eject submunition carrier loaded with HEAT or dual-purpose bomblets and assembled into 3VO28, 3VO29, and 3VO30 rounds for different propelling-charge configurations.

OF23 cargo projectile, 152 mm cargo cluster artillery projectile, Munitions
Image source: 152mm lime-colored projectile
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union / Russia
Built by
SovietRussia
Type
152 mm cargo cluster artillery projectile
Service note
Cold War-present

Specifications

Caliber
152 mm
Projectile mass
42.8 kg
Projectile length
820 mm with fuze; 718 mm without fuze in the ARDEC/Picatinny ammunition handbook
Round assemblies
3VO28 with long-range charge; 3VO29 with full variable charge; 3VO30 with reduced variable charge
Compatible artillery
Russian catalogue material lists the rounds for 2A65 and 2S19 artillery systems
Maximum range
About 21 km in the Russian catalogue for 2A65/2S19; other open 2A65 tables list about 26 km
Payload
Published references list 40 to 42 HEAT or dual-purpose submunitions
Submunition mass
0.36 kg bomblet mass with 0.042 kg explosive content in Russian catalogue data
Fuze
Mechanical time fuze; DTM-75 listed in the ARDEC/Picatinny ammunition handbook
Projectile type
Spin-stabilized, base-eject submunition carrier projectile
Firing Weapons

The best open compatibility sources tie the 3-O-23 round family to Msta-family 152 mm artillery rather than to a standalone launcher.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
2A65 Msta-B, 152 mm towed howitzer, Artillery2A65 Msta-B152 mm towed howitzer

Russian catalogue material says rounds with the 3-O-23 cargo projectile are intended for firing from the 2A65 artillery system, while Weaponsystems.net lists the OF23 cargo projectile in the 2A65 ammunition table.

Sources: Weapons of Russia 2000 152 mm 3-O-23 rounds, 152mm 2A65 Msta-B

2S19 Msta-S, 152 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer, Artillery2S19 Msta-S152 mm self-propelled howitzer

The same Russian catalogue entry lists 2S19 alongside 2A65 as a firing system for the 3VO28, 3VO29, and 3VO30 rounds with the 3-O-23 cargo projectile.

Sources: Weapons of Russia 2000 152 mm 3-O-23 rounds

Designation And Source Limits

The public source set is strongest on identification, round assemblies, and Msta-family compatibility. It does not provide enough open detail to attach this exact projectile to a named conflict-use row.

ScopeSource-backed detailCatalog treatment
Projectile bodyMETIS identifies 3-O-23 as a Russian 152 mm cargo or cluster projectile with a fuze adapter, main body, base unit, expulsion charge, and dual-purpose submunitions.The page treats OF23, O23, and 3-O-23 as aliases for the projectile body.
Complete roundsRussian catalogue material and METIS separate the 3VO28, 3VO29, and 3VO30 round assemblies by propelling-charge configuration.The designation table keeps those round names on this page without creating separate weapon records.
Payload and rangeOpen tables vary between 40 and 42 bomblets, and the maximum range is source-dependent.Specifications keep the range and submunition count as published-reference ranges instead of forcing a single figure.
Conflict-use evidenceSome references classify the munition family as a cluster munition or list closed conflict metadata, but the public text does not name a conflict with direct use of this exact projectile.The record remains relationship-only until a source directly identifies OF23, 3-O-23, or a 3VO28/29/30 round in a named conflict.

Sources: METIS 3-O-23 projectile; METIS 3VO28 152 mm round; METIS 3VO29 152 mm round; METIS 3VO30 152 mm round; Weapons of Russia 2000 152 mm 3-O-23 rounds; Handbook of Ammunition Used in Iraq O23.

Media

OF23 cargo projectile Images

OF23 cargo projectile, 152 mm cargo cluster artillery projectile, Munitions - view 1
Source: 152 mm shell RUK-museo.JPG
Related Weapon Systems
2S19 Msta-S, 152 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer, ArtilleryArtillery2S19 Msta-S152 mm tracked self-propelled howitzerThe 2S19 Msta-S is a Soviet-designed, Russian-produced 152 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer that combines a 2A64 gun, armored cross-country mobility, automated loading, and later digital fire-control upgrades. The 2S19M1 branch adds automated guidance and command-and-control integration, while official Rostec reporting describes the 2S19M2 / 2S33 Msta-SM2 branch with ASUNO-M fire control, electronic mapping, automatic laying recovery, and a 10-round-per-minute aimed firing rate. Its combat record spans Russian use in Chechnya and Ukraine, Ethiopia's wartime Msta fleet, and Ukrainian operation of captured Msta-S systems.
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

Weapons of Russia 2000 152 mm 3-O-23 roundsPublisher: Russian defense export catalogue (Scribd mirror) | Note: Supports the 3VO28, 3VO29, and 3VO30 round designations, the 2A65 and 2S19 firing-system relationship, target set, 40-bomblet payload table, 0.36 kg bomblet mass, 0.042 kg bomblet explosive content, and 21 km maximum range. | Accessed: 2026-06-29METIS 3-O-23 projectilePublisher: Fenix Insight METIS | Note: Supports 3-O-23 as a Russian 152 mm cargo or cluster projectile with a fuze adapter, main body, base unit, expulsion charge, and dual-purpose submunitions. | Accessed: 2026-06-29METIS 3VO28 152 mm roundPublisher: Fenix Insight METIS | Note: Supports 3VO28 as a 152 mm round built around the 3-O-23 cargo projectile and a long-range propelling charge. | Accessed: 2026-06-29METIS 3VO29 152 mm roundPublisher: Fenix Insight METIS | Note: Supports 3VO29 as a 152 mm round built around the 3-O-23 projectile and a full variable propelling charge. | Accessed: 2026-06-29METIS 3VO30 152 mm roundPublisher: Fenix Insight METIS | Note: Supports 3VO30 as a 152 mm round built around the 3-O-23 projectile and a reduced variable propelling charge. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Handbook of Ammunition Used in Iraq O23Publisher: U.S. Army ARDEC Foreign Ordnance Section (PDFCoffee mirror) | Note: Supports O23 projectile length, 42.8 kg projectile mass, 3VO28/3VO29/3VO30 round association, 42 HEAT submunitions, 1.89 kg net explosive weight, and DTM-75 mechanical time fuze. | Accessed: 2026-06-29152mm 2A65 Msta-BPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports the OF23 cargo projectile being listed in the 2A65 Msta-B ammunition table and gives the 42.8 kg projectile mass, 26 km range, 42-submunition payload, and 2A65 firing relationship. | Accessed: 2026-06-29152 mm howitzer 2A65 Msta-BPublisher: Wikipedia | Note: Baseline source lead for the OF23 cargo projectile in the 2A65 Msta-B ammunition table, including projectile mass, range, and bomblet payload; retained as a starting reference rather than the primary support source. | Accessed: 2026-06-29152mm O 23 Projectile - CAT-UXOPublisher: CAT-UXO | Note: Supports the 152 mm O-23 designation and its description as a spin-stabilized, base-eject submunition carrier projectile. | Accessed: 2026-06-29152mm lime-colored projectilePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY 4.0 licensing for the representative 152 mm projectile photo used as the primary image. | Accessed: 2026-06-29152 mm shell RUK-museo.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain licensing for the secondary 152 mm projectile image in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-06-29