Trumpeter 09529 1/35 Soviet 2A3 Kondensator 2P 406mm Self-Propelled Howitzer Plastic Model Kit

The:2A3 Kondensator 2P: was a:Soviet:406:mm:self-propelled Howitzer.: The 2A3 originated during the:Cold War:as a response to the United States' new Pentomic Division" tactical doctrine that emphasized heavy use of nuclear weapons including:nuclear artillery. The US:M65 cannon:was introduced in 1952 and deployed in Germany in 1953. The Soviet Union started its own program to develop a 406mm self-propelled howitzer capable of firing nuclear projectiles, codenamed 'Objekt 271'.

Grabin Design Bureau:completed the artillery system in 1955. The 'Objekt 271' chassis from the Kotlin Design Bureau in:Leningrad was completed soon there after. The unified system received the military industrial designation 2A3 and was completed in 1956 at the:Kirov Works:in Leningrad. Total production only amounted to four vehicles.

Western observers got their first look at the new weapon during a 1957 parade on:Red Square. Initially observers thought that the weapon was a:mockup:created for deterrent effect.