Type Gun-mortar In service 1970–present | Place of origin Soviet Union Manufacturer Bolshevik Plant | |
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Wars Soviet war in Afghanistan
Syrian Civil War
War in Donbass Weight combat: 632 kg (1,393 lb) | ||
The 2B9 Vasilek (Cornflower) is an automatic 82 mm gun-mortar developed in the Soviet Union in 1967 and fielded with the Soviet Army in 1970. It was based on the F-82 automatic mortar. Unlike conventional mortars, the 2B9 can fire in single and automatic mode using four-round clips. Rounds can be loaded from either the muzzle or the breech. Because of its wheeled carriage, the 2B9 resembles a light artillery piece more than a conventional mortar.
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The 2B9 was used in Afghanistan by Soviet units and is still found in Russian airmobile infantry units. In the fighting in Afghanistan, Soviet units found the 2B9 to be a versatile and useful weapon. The 2B9 can fire high-explosive, armor-piercing and smoke shells, as well as flares. The armor-piercing projectile, which weighs 3.1 kg, has a 75 g warhead that can penetrate 100mm of armor. Upon blast, the shell produces 400 to 600 fragments.
By 1988, the 2B9 was also deployed as a self-propelled weapon by mounting the gun-mortar in the rear of an MT-LB armored personnel carrier.
During the Syrian Civil War, the 2B9M Vasilek was used by the Syrian Armed Forces, Kurdish People's Protection Units, and the Islamist group Ansar al-Sham. The latter used a 2B9M automatic mortar near Mount Chalma, Kesab district.
The 2B9 Vasilek was used by Novorossiyan rebels in the War in Donbass.