180 mm gun S-23

Also known as

S-23
180mm S-23
S-23 180 mm gun
52-P-572
203 mm M1955
203mm M1955
180-mm pushka S-23

The S-23 is a Soviet 180 mm towed heavy gun built for long-range corps or army-level fire rather than close tactical support. Its unusual caliber, heavy split-trail carriage, and rocket-assisted ammunition gave Syrian and Egyptian forces a long-reach artillery option in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, while later Syrian Civil War evidence shows the type still present in Syrian Army artillery stocks decades after production ended.

180 mm gun S-23, 180 mm towed heavy gun, Artillery

Image source: Wikimedia S-23 St Petersburg Image

Role in Conflicts

Side: EgyptSyria

ARES reports that Syrian and Egyptian S-23 guns were used against Israel in 1973, mainly in artillery duels near the Golan Heights, and that Israeli forces captured at least one Egyptian gun.

Side: Syrian government and alliesOpposition and anti-government forces

After anti-government forces captured a Syrian Arab Army artillery school near Aleppo in August 2016, ARES identified an S-23 gun in imagery from the facility and noted earlier Syrian Army photographs of the same type.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: Soviet Union
Built by: Barrikady
Type: 180 mm towed heavy gun
Service note: Cold War heavy artillery with later Middle Eastern service
Designer: NII-58 design bureau under Vasiliy Grabin
Designed: 1944-1955
Produced: 1955-1956 initial batch; 1971 revived production for Syria
Number built: At least 19 in sourced production batches, with wider totals disputed

Specifications

Caliber: 180 mm
Combat weight: About 21.2 t in firing position; about 21.45 t in travel configuration
Crew: 14 to 16 personnel, depending on source
Barrel: About 8.65 m / 49-caliber ordnance with pepperpot muzzle brake
Carriage: Single-axle, four-wheel split-trail carriage with two-wheel limber for towing
Elevation: -2 to +55 degrees
Traverse: 44 degrees total traverse
Maximum range: 30.4 km with standard HE; about 43.8 km with rocket-assisted projectile
Rate of fire: 1 round per minute maximum; about 1 round every 2 minutes sustained
Towing vehicle: AT-T artillery tractor in Soviet service

Design And Ammunition

The S-23 traded mobility for range. WeaponSystems.net describes a heavy split-trail carriage, a two-wheel limber for travel, and an AT-T artillery tractor in Soviet service; ARES gives a 21-ton class in-battery mass and road towing speed of 35 km/h.

Standard shell

53-F-572 high-explosive projectile, listed by ARES at 88 kg with a maximum range of 30.39 km.

Concrete-piercing shell

53-G-572 projectile, listed by ARES at 97.5 kg and 27.38 km maximum range.

Rocket-assisted shell

3OF23 rocket-assisted projectile, introduced with the later ammunition set and listed by ARES at 43.7-43.8 km maximum range.

Variants

Sources describe the S-23 as the 180 mm member of a proposed heavy artillery family on a common carriage, with production centered on the gun rather than the companion heavy howitzer and mortar concepts.

Variant	Configuration	Designation notes
S-23 prototype	early 180 mm gun configuration	ARES notes a prototype with a horizontal sliding-wedge breech before the later interrupted-screw breech design. Sources: ARES S-23 Syria

Variant

Configuration

Designation notes

S-23 prototype

early 180 mm gun configuration

ARES notes a prototype with a horizontal sliding-wedge breech before the later interrupted-screw breech design.

Sources: ARES S-23 Syria

Timeline

180 mm gun S-23 Key Events

Jan 1, 1944
Heavy gun development begins
ARES traces the heavy wheeled 180 mm gun project to a 1944 development start under Vasiliy Grabin's design bureau.
Sources: ARES S-23 Syria
Jan 1, 1955
Initial acceptance and short production run
Acceptance tests began in 1955, but the first production run was halted quickly as Soviet priorities shifted toward rocket systems.
Sources: ARES S-23 Syria, WeaponSystems.net S-23
Jan 1, 1971
Production revived for Syria
Production restarted for a Syrian order, with ARES and WeaponSystems.net both identifying a 12-gun 1971 batch while wider delivery totals remain disputed.
Sources: ARES S-23 Syria, WeaponSystems.net S-23
Oct 6, 1973
Used in the Yom Kippur War
ARES reports Syrian and Egyptian use during the 1973 war, including fighting near the Golan Heights and an Egyptian gun captured by Israel.
Sources: ARES S-23 Syria
Aug 5, 2016
Documented at captured Aleppo artillery school
Anti-government forces captured a Syrian Arab Army artillery school during operations around Aleppo; subsequent imagery showed an S-23 gun at the facility.
Sources: ARES S-23 Syria

Service Pattern

The open-source record points to a small Soviet production base followed by Middle Eastern combat service. ARES notes that production totals vary by source, that the Syrian order drove the 1971 restart, and that 1989 reporting also connected Syrian 180 mm guns with fighting in Lebanon.

Media