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Russia Expands Krasnopol-M2 Guided Artillery Munition Production Tenfold After Combat-Proven Accuracy Gains.
Russia’s state technology conglomerate Rostec announced it has increased production of the Krasnopol-M2 guided artillery round by ten times, citing improved battlefield accuracy and growing demand. The expansion signals Moscow’s push toward a precision fires doctrine and its intent to compete more aggressively in the global precision-guided munitions market.
On 25 February 2026, Russia’s state-owned technology conglomerate Rostec unveiled updated data on the Krasnopol-M2 guided artillery munition, underscoring its growing role in Russia’s shift toward precision fires. Speaking through the news agency TASS, the company framed the system as central to modernization efforts aimed at replacing area-effect bombardment with highly accurate, point-target strikes. Rostec emphasized the Krasnopol-M2’s reported performance gains, claimed to surpass Western analogues in accuracy, and highlighted its growing production scale and export potential, marked by the system’s presentation at the World Defense Show 2026 in Saudi Arabia. The corporation said these improvements reflect both rising domestic demand and ambitions to strengthen Russia’s position in the global precision-guided weapons market.
The Krasnopol is a laser-guided artillery projectile designed for precision engagement of point targets at ranges up to roughly 20 to 25 kilometers, and the variant shown in the image was displayed at the World Defense Show in Saudi Arabia as the 155 mm export version configured for NATO-standard artillery systems (Picture Source: Army Recognition Group)
Rostec states that statistical data from recent combat employment indicate that Krasnopol-M2 “significantly outperforms Western guided munitions in accuracy,” while compressing the full sensor-to-shooter cycle, detection, target designation, firing and withdrawal, into a very short time window. According to the corporation, when the projectile is used from the 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled howitzer, the combination of high mobility, terrain-crossing performance and automated fire control allows a firing unit to detect, engage and displace in approximately two to three minutes, reducing exposure to counter-battery fire. At the industrial level, Rostec officials told TASS that total production of guided munitions, including tube artillery shells and MLRS rockets, has increased “by dozens of times” over the last several years, with guided projectiles specifically reported to have grown tenfold in four years, and that Krasnopol precision rounds have followed the same trend. The corporation links these volumes to a broader move towards precision engagement, arguing that guided shells reduce overall ammunition consumption because fewer rounds are needed per target.
The Krasnopol-M2 represents a modernization of the long-serving 2K25 Krasnopol precision-guided artillery system originally developed by KBP Instrument Design Bureau and now produced within the structures of Rostec. Designed for 152 mm artillery systems, the updated munition retains the semi-active laser homing (SALH) guidance principle that has characterized the Krasnopol family since its introduction. The projectile follows a conventional ballistic trajectory during the initial and mid-course phases before deploying control surfaces to perform terminal corrections toward a laser-designated target. Laser illumination is provided by external forward observers, specialized ground teams, or unmanned aerial systems, as the projectile itself carries only the seeker head and not a laser designator.
The 152 mm Krasnopol-M2 integrates a high-explosive fragmentation warhead weighing approximately 8 kg. Russian reports indicate an effective range of up to 20 km when fired from standard 152 mm howitzers, with extended performance, reportedly reaching approximately 25 km, when launched from modern or longer-barrel systems. The munition is certified for use across a range of Russian artillery platforms, including the 2S19 Msta-S, the 2S5 Giatsint-S, the 2A65 Msta-B, and more recently the wheeled 2S43 Malva. The projectile’s aerodynamic refinements and guidance improvements distinguish it from earlier Krasnopol variants, offering enhanced engagement reliability against stationary and slowly moving point targets.
In parallel, a 155 mm export variant of the Krasnopol-M2 has been developed to ensure compatibility with NATO-standard artillery systems. This version is designed for integration with platforms such as the M109 and the CAESAR. According to publicly available specifications, the 155 mm model offers an extended maximum range of up to approximately 26 km, reflecting adaptations to Western ballistic standards and chamber pressures. Together, the 152 mm and 155 mm configurations position the Krasnopol-M2 as a dual-caliber precision artillery solution intended for both domestic service and export markets.
At the tactical level, Rostec presents the Krasnopol-M2 concept as a transformative step in the evolution of traditional tube artillery and towed howitzers, from area-suppression weapons into precision-strike assets. According to the corporation’s statements to TASS, the munition is valued primarily for counter-battery operations, engagements against armored vehicles, and the destruction of command posts, drone control centers, and other high-value point targets. By shortening the sensor-to-shooter cycle and enabling rapid displacement after firing, Russian sources contend that artillery units can enhance survivability against counterfire while sustaining lethality at extended ranges. This doctrine reflects a wider international shift in artillery employment, where batteries are increasingly viewed not as static fire bases, but as mobile, networked elements within an integrated reconnaissance–strike complex that incorporates drones, forward observers, and digital fire-control systems. Within this framework, the Krasnopol-M2 functions as one precision effector among several in a layered fires architecture, conceptually comparable to Western semi-active laser–guided or GPS-/inertial-guided projectiles.
Industrial and export dynamics further amplify the significance of recent announcements. Russian media citing Rostec report that the High Precision Systems holding increased production of Krasnopol-M2 guided artillery munitions in 2024 in line with earlier expansion plans, suggesting that state orders for precision artillery are not only sustained but structurally embedded in Russia’s armaments programs. Previous reporting also indicates that Krasnopol rounds are now delivered in larger batches to operational units, reflecting a move away from niche, low-density use of guided artillery and towards more routine employment. In parallel, the system’s export trajectory is becoming more visible.
An export-oriented sample of Krasnopol-M2 had already been exhibited at IDEX 2025 in Abu Dhabi, and Army Recognition Group from World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh noted that the 155 mm cannon-launched guided projectile was among the products highlighted by Rostec’s High Precision Systems at Russia’s national pavilion. Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state arms exporter, has presented WDS as a platform for world premieres of new systems, and Krasnopol-M2 is promoted within a broader ecosystem that includes the Planshet-A digital artillery command-and-control system and long-range rocket artillery solutions. For potential customers operating NATO-standard 155 mm howitzers, the export Krasnopol-M2 is pitched as a means to introduce semi-active laser precision into legacy gun fleets without radical structural changes, adding another competitor to an already crowded market for guided artillery rounds.
The operational history of Krasnopol-type munitions stretches back several decades. The original Krasnopol entered service with the Soviet Army in the mid-1980s and has been progressively upgraded on the basis of experience gathered in Afghanistan, later counter-insurgency campaigns in the North Caucasus, and expeditionary operations in the Middle East. Over time, the concept evolved from reliance on bulky ground-based laser designators to integration with unmanned aerial vehicles, allowing more flexible illumination geometry and better use of the projectile’s maneuver envelope. Russian experts quoted by TASS note that modernized versions of Krasnopol can now engage both stationary and moving targets, such as armored fighting vehicles, by adjusting their trajectory in real time based on continuous laser designation, including from UAVs. From a fire control standpoint, the system is intended to replace massed fires on a grid square with a smaller number of precision shots against individual high-value targets, with Russian artillery officers frequently highlighting the contrast between tens of unguided rounds per target and the prospect of a single guided round achieving the same effect.
Russia’s expanding industrial and export activities underscore the growing significance of its precision artillery programs. High Precision Systems expanded production of Krasnopol-M2 guided munitions in 2024 as part of previously outlined capacity growth plans, underscoring the sustained prioritization of precision artillery within national procurement programs and the broader institutionalization of high-accuracy fires in operational doctrine. Deliveries in larger volumes suggest a transition from limited, specialized deployment to routine operational use. Internationally, the system’s visibility continues to rise: an export version was presented at IDEX 2025 in Abu Dhabi and featured again at the 2026 World Defense Show in Riyadh. Positioned by Rosoboronexport within a broader suite of digital fire‑control and long‑range rocket systems, the 155 mm Krasnopol‑M2 is marketed to operators of NATO‑standard howitzers as a cost‑effective means of integrating semi‑active laser precision, adding another strong contender to the competitive global guided artillery market.
The latest developments surrounding the Krasnopol-M2 signify not only a technical evolution of an established guided artillery shell but also a broader industrial and commercial shift toward mass-produced precision munitions within Russia’s defense strategy and export framework. Rostec’s assertions of superior accuracy compared to Western equivalents, mission preparation times measured in minutes, and markedly increased production rates represent notable indicators for analysts, though they rely on company-supplied data that remain unverified and should be considered alongside concurrent modernization efforts in other states.
The unveiling of an export variant at a high-profile venue such as the 2026 World Defense Show underscores the system’s role within an intensifying global competition over precision artillery, whether defined by laser guidance, satellite navigation, or emerging ramjet and glide technologies. In this context, the Krasnopol-M2 exemplifies how traditional tube artillery is being reimagined for a precision‑centered battlespace, where industrial scalability, networked sensor integration, and systems interoperability are increasingly as critical as sheer ballistic performance.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.