45th Heavy Artillery Brigade

45th Heavy Artillery Brigade 45th Artillery Brigade
45-я Артиллерийская Бригада Большой Мощности
Great emblem of the Russian Missile Troops and Artillery
Active	1993–2009, 2017–present
Country	Russian Federation
Branch	Russia Army Missile Troops and Artillery
Type	Heavy Artillery
Size	Brigade of 1,157 officers and soldiers.
Part of	Western Military District
Garrison/HQ	Tambov, Tambov Oblast
Predecessor	17th Cannon Artillery Brigade
"Svirskaya"	Second Chechen War
Decorations	Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky

The 45th Heavy Artillery Brigade (45 Abr BM, Military unit # 31969) (Russian: 45-я Артиллерийская Бригада Большой Мощности, romanized: 45-ya Artilleriyskaya Brigada Bol'shoy Moshchnosti) is a heavy artillery formation of the Russian Ground Forces belonging to the Western Military District.

History

The 45th Artillery Brigade's full title is the 45th Svir Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky Heavy Artillery Brigade, gaining its honourific title from the old 17th Cannon Artillery Brigade which served in the Second World War. The current 45th has been in its current form in 1993, following the Dissolution of the Soviet Union and creation of the new Russian Army. The new brigade became the 45th Artillery Brigade, however in 2000 it was reorganised into the 45th Heavy Artillery Brigade. Note: in Russian, the title directly translate as "High Power".

Later that year, the brigade was deployed to Southern Russia and took part in the Second Chechen War where more than 100 members of the unit received combat awards for destroying or supressing more than 100 pillboxes, 60 firing points, 2 tanks, and 23 groups of vehicles, a fuel depot, and other "fortified militant facilities".

In 2009, under the reorganisation of the Russian Ground Forces, the brigade was disbanded. However, in 2017, the brigade was reformed following the expansion of the Army once again under the new Minister of Defence, Sergey Kuzhugetovich Shoygu. The brigade regained its honours and was allowed to maintain its old honours, now once again under the Western Military District.

Organisation

The 45th Heavy Artillery brigade is now organised as follows:

• Brigade Headquarters
• Command Battery
• Reconnaissance Artillery Battalion (has Orlan-10 and Zastava UAVs)
• 1st Cannon Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion (12 x 2S7 Pion 203mm Self-Propelled Heavy Howitzers)
• 2nd Cannon Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion (12 x 2S7 Pion 203mm Self-Propelled Heavy Howitzers)
• 3rd Self-Propelled Mortar Division (8 x 2S4 Tyulpan 240mm Self-Propelled Heavy Mortars)
• 4th Self-Propelled Mortar Division (8 x 2S4 Tyulpan 240mm Self-Propelled Heavy Mortars)
• Engineering Platoon
• Logistics Company
• Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defence Platoon
• Repair Platoon

According to a Ukrainian report on the Russian Army, the brigade's strength stands at 1,157 officers and soldiers.

Gallery

Images via. Russian Ministry of Defence of the brigade during live firing exercises in the Tambov Oblast on 1 March 2019.

240-mm artillery mine of the 2S4 self-propelled mortar of the 45th Svir artillery brigade of high power.

2S4 Tyulpan 240mm heavy mortar of 45th High-Power Artillery Brigade.

2S4 Tyulpan 240mm heavy mortar of 45th High-Power Artillery Brigade.

2S4 Tyulpan 240mm heavy mortar of 45th High-Power Artillery Brigade.

2S4 Tyulpan 240mm heavy mortar of 45th High-Power Artillery Brigade.

Video of 2S7 & 2S4 firing of the 45th High-Power Artillery Brigade in Tambov Oblast.