ROMARM Model 89

     Notes:  This Romanian self-propelled howitzer is basically the turret of the 2S1 fitted onto the chassis of a modified MLI-84 IFV.  The resulting vehicle is lighter than the 2S1, somewhat cheaper, and better able to travel on the flimsy roads and bridges often found in Romania, as well as better handling on the mountain paths in southern Romania.  It has not been exported as of yet, nor has it been offered for export.  The Romanians are in the process of replacing the Model 89 with true 2S1s, and only 18 Model 89 of the original 42 remain in service today.

     The 2S1 turret fits perfectly into the MLI-84’s turret ring, though the 2S1 turret itself is a bit larger than that of the MLI-84.  The 2A31 122mm gun itself is not the same as on the 2S1, but is a Romanian ground-mounted gun that has several common components with the 2S1’s 2A31 gun.  The gun itself is actually a gun/howitzer, meaning that the gun has deliberately low depression and can function as a tank destroyer as well as a howitzer.  The gun on the Model 89 has a semiautomatic autoloader, meaning that the loader must affix the fuzes and place the round in the autoloading train for loading into the breech; the breech block is also semiautomatic, and the loader must close the breech.  The Model 89 seems almost to be optimized for the tank destroyer role, as the fire control suite is marginally more advanced than the indirect fire computer. Max Depression is -3 degrees with elevation +70 degrees. A Model 45 normally carries a few antitank rounds (about 10% of its total), but mostly carries howitzer-type rounds. The gun turret has 360 degree rotation and can also fire from any angle.  The Model 45 does not normally have a commander’s machinegun, though an optional one it figured into the entry.  The commander has a manually-rotating cupola, with all-around vision blocks and a night channel is borrows from the gunner.

     Following the BMP-1 design, the MLI-84 has a driver’s hatch on the front right hull, and commander’s and gunner’s positions in the turret; the turret has one hatch for the commander.  All three have night vision equipment. The Model 89 has a new engine, the Perkins CV-8V-1240 DTS supercharged diesel developing 360 horsepower; this is larger and heavier, but is more powerful than standard BMP-1 engine, and is also uprated slightly from the MLI-84’s engine.  The fitting of its engine and the associated automatic transmission required rebuilding and enlarging of the engine compartment.  The increase in the length of the hull also allowed small fuel tanks to be incorporated into the walls, increasing the fuel capacity.  The gaps between the roadwheels are also wider. Unfortunately, the suspension is still of the conventional torsion bar type with shock absorbers only on the first and last roadwheels on each side, so the ride can be even rougher than that of the BMP-1.  The heavier weight of the Model 89 also reduced its amphibious capability; it is slow in the water, and freeboard is greatly reduced.  The crew and passenger are protected by a fire detection and extinguishing system, and the commander also has access to a Geiger counter and chemical agent detector, which can be operated with hatches closed.

     The Model 89 retains the MLI-84’s doors in the rear, but has no firing ports.  From the 2S1 turret, the Model 89 inherits the long equipment box on the left side of the turret.  This is large enough to carry ancillary equipment for the Model 89, and little more.  At the rear of the turret are slotted covers used to retract a portion of the suspension during swimming and fording operations.  This of course requires that the turret be squared up with the front when swimming and fording deeply. The Model 89 has an NBC overpressure with a collective NBC backup.  As intimated above, the Model 89 is amphibious, and has waterjets and bilge pumps.  The Model 89 does require an FDC, though it does have one short-range and one long-range secure radio, both with data capability.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$288,780

D, A

500 kg

17.5 tons

5

14

Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G)

Shielded

 

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor*

157/110

40/28/11

600

134

Trtd

T4

TF10  TS6  TR6  HF8  HS4  HR4

 

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+2

Fair

122mm L/40 D-30 Howitzer, NSVT (C)

40x122mm, 500x12.7mm

*Chassis deck armor is 3; Turret deck armor is 5.