According to information from the 80th Separate Airborne Assault Galician Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the "Nona-K" gun has been highly effective in destroying the enemy, including infantry, dugouts, mortar crews, and SPGs and AQS. Initially, this gun was sent to the Bakhmut direction and directly participated in the defense of the city. It also protected our troops on the border during the Kursk operation.
Redaksiya reports that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are using quite rare, but effective, examples of weapons on the front line, and one of these examples is the Soviet-made 2B-16 "Nona-K" gun. According to "Defense Express," this gun has "phenomenal" accuracy, but it has serious shortcomings in its operation, especially in the conditions of modern warfare.
The main problem with the gun is its short firing range. Depending on the ammunition used, its effective firing range can be up to 7-8.8 km, and the maximum up to 12.8 km, which creates problems in the context of mass drone use and the expansion of the "kill zone."
The soldiers recounted an incident with this gun: substandard ammunition was purchased for this gun, and approximately one-third of the shells did not detonate. One of those substandard shells, with a "blank" direct hit, managed to destroy one of the Russian soldiers.
It was previously reported that North Korea supplies 122 mm D-74 guns to Russia, but Russian artillerymen complain about their frequent breakdowns due to low-quality production. The strength of the gun's metal has been compared to "pressed rice."
Pavel Narozhny, founder of the "Reaktiv Pochta" Public Union and a military expert, noted that Ukraine has significantly increased the production of its "Bogdana" self-propelled artillery mounts. Russia, on the other hand, has nothing to boast about in the field of artillery.
At the same time, with proper camouflage and crew training, the "Nona-K" is indeed effective – thanks to its high level of accuracy.
Therefore, as noted by the brigade, the gun is not being used in combat today – they are waiting for the spring-summer period to be able to hide it in the "greenery." The main problem with the gun is its short firing range.