Munitions

Sazhenets

Also known as
  • Саженец
  • Sapling

Sazhenets was a Soviet 203 mm special nuclear shell for the 2A44 artillery family used by the 2S7 Pion and 2S7M Malka heavy guns. Open sources tie it to VNIITF development work in the mid-1970s, describe it as an improved design over Kleshchevina, and put its reported yield at about two kilotons TNT equivalent.

Sazhenets, 203 mm special nuclear shell, Munitions
Image source: The Soviet Red Army's nuclear artillery and its ammunition
Documented Context

Open sources publish only a narrow slice of Sazhenets's public profile, but they agree on the role and the broader family context.

TopicWhat is documentedSource labels
RoleSpecial nuclear ammunition for the 203 mm 2A44 family used by 2S7 Pion and 2S7M Malka.203mm shells for 2A44 howitzer; ZvezdaWeekly on Pion nuclear rounds; RIA on Malka nuclear rounds
DeveloperVNIITF is described as the institute that developed the nuclear rounds for the 2S7 system.ZvezdaWeekly on Pion nuclear rounds
Reported yieldAbout 2 kt TNT equivalent.RIA on Malka nuclear rounds
Open detail levelPublic references give weight, filler, and fuse data, but not the internal construction of the shell.203mm shells for 2A44 howitzer
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
203 mm special nuclear shell
Designer
All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Technical Physics (VNIITF)
Designed
1975

Specifications

Caliber
203 mm
Weight
110 kg
Reported yield
About 2 kt TNT equivalent
Filler
17.8 kg A-IX-20 explosive
Fuse
Point detonating
Family context
Special-charge shell for the 2A44 ammunition family used by the 2S7 Pion and 2S7M Malka
Design note
Improved over Kleshchevina; published sources do not spell out the exact internal change
Firing Weapons

Sazhenets sits in the Soviet 203 mm 2A44 ammunition family fired by the 2S7 heavy gun line.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
2S7 Pion, 203 mm tracked self-propelled gun, Artillery2S7 Pion203 mm tracked self-propelled gun

ZvezdaWeekly says VNIITF developed the special nuclear rounds Sazhenets and Kleshchevina for the 2S7 Pion family, so this page links back to the original gun.

Sources: ZvezdaWeekly on Pion nuclear rounds

2S7M Malka, 203 mm tracked self-propelled gun, Artillery2S7M Malka203 mm tracked self-propelled gun

RIA describes Sazhenets as a roughly two-kiloton round in the 2S7M Malka context, so this page also links to the modernized firing gun.

Sources: RIA on Malka nuclear rounds

Why the gun links matter

Sazhenets only appears in open sources as ammunition for the 2S7 family, so the carrier pages are the clearest way to continue reading.

Sources: 203mm shells for 2A44 howitzer, ZvezdaWeekly on Pion nuclear rounds, RIA on Malka nuclear rounds

Timeline

Sazhenets Key Events

  1. 2S7 family fielding context

    ZvezdaWeekly says the 2S7 Pion entered service in 1975 and that VNIITF developed the special nuclear rounds Sazhenets and Kleshchevina for the system.

    Sources: ZvezdaWeekly on Pion nuclear rounds

  2. 2S7M Malka modernization

    The same source places the 2S7M Malka modernization in 1983, showing why the Sazhenets shell stayed relevant in the later 2S7 family.

    Sources: ZvezdaWeekly on Pion nuclear rounds

Media

Sazhenets Images

Sazhenets, 203 mm special nuclear shell, Munitions - view 1
Source: File:2S7 Pion.jpg - Wikimedia Commons
Related Weapon Systems
203 mm shells for 2A44 howitzer, 203 mm separate-loading artillery ammunition family, MunitionsMunitions203 mm shells for 2A44 howitzer203 mm separate-loading artillery ammunition familyThe 203 mm shells for the 2A44 howitzer are the Soviet separate-loading ammunition family for 2S7 Pion and 2S7M Malka heavy guns. Public references distinguish standard 3OF43 high-explosive fragmentation projectiles, 3OF44 rocket-assisted projectiles, 3O14 cluster shells, concrete-piercing and special-shell designs, plus current Russian OF43/OF44 use and Ukrainian 203 mm ammunition use in the Russia-Ukraine War.
100 mm D-10 tank gun, 100 mm rifled tank and anti-tank gun, ArtilleryArtillery100 mm D-10 tank gun100 mm rifled tank and anti-tank gunThe 100 mm D-10 is a Soviet rifled gun family developed for armored-vehicle use at the end of the Second World War. Its D-10S form armed the SU-100 tank destroyer, while D-10T, D-10TG, and D-10T2S tank-gun variants became the main armament of T-54/T-55-family tanks and related foreign designs. This record is relationship-only because the available sources support platform installation and service history, not independent conflict-use rows for the gun separate from its carrier vehicles.
M106 203 mm high-explosive fragmentation projectile, 203 mm high-explosive fragmentation projectile, MunitionsMunitionsM106 203 mm high-explosive fragmentation projectile203 mm high-explosive fragmentation projectileThe M106 is a U.S. 8-inch, or roughly 203 mm, high-explosive fragmentation projectile built for American heavy artillery such as the M110. Open munition references describe a nose-fuzed, boat-tailed steel shell with TNT or Composition B filling, while Ukrainian and defense-reporting sources document M106 projectiles being adapted to Ukrainian 2S7 Pion guns during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War as Soviet-pattern 203 mm stocks became scarce.

Sources

203mm shells for 2A44 howitzerPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports Sazhenets as a 203 mm nuclear shell for the 2A44 family, including the listed 110 kg weight, 17.8 kg A-IX-20 filler, point-detonating fuse, and improved-design note over Kleshchevina. | Accessed: 2026-06-232S7 203-mm Self-Propelled GunPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports the 2S7 203 mm gun context and the special-charge family that includes Sazhenets. | Accessed: 2026-06-23The Soviet Red Army's nuclear artillery and its ammunitionPublisher: iNEWS | Note: Supports image provenance for the shell display photo and general Soviet 203 mm nuclear artillery context. | Accessed: 2026-06-23ZvezdaWeekly on Pion nuclear roundsPublisher: ZvezdaWeekly | Note: Supports the mid-1970s 2S7 fielding context and VNIITF development of the Sazhenets and Kleshchevina nuclear rounds. | Accessed: 2026-06-27RIA on Malka nuclear roundsPublisher: RIA Novosti | Note: Supports the reported roughly two-kiloton yield for Sazhenets and its discussion in the 2S7M Malka context. | Accessed: 2026-06-27File:2S7 Pion.jpg - Wikimedia CommonsPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the additional 2S7 Pion gallery image, which is used as carrier context for the Sazhenets shell. | Accessed: 2026-06-27