It was designed to deliver tactical nuclear payloads, however it was plagued by technical issues caused by the sheer size of the gun and the massive recoil during firing.

While the development of the S-103 was abandoned in November 1956 after the barrel burst during the 93rd test firing, four Okas and four Kondensators were built in 1957.

[4] Kinnear and Sewell note that some sources claim that the Oka could fire 750 kg (1,650 lb) rounds up to 45 km (28 mi).

The 2B1, designed to be fired with the barrel at high elevations didn't suffer the same problems from the extreme recoil as the 2A3 (which caused the entire vehicle to be pushed back several meters when its gun was fired), but it still placed enormous stress on the chassis, despite the installation of reinforced shock absorbers.

[6] The 2A3 and 2B1 technical issues combined with Nikita Khrushchev's preference for missiles over heavy guns resulted in both designs being cancelled in 1960, before they could ever be put into service,[6] although both vehicles were paraded through Red Square in the late 1950s to leave an impression on foreign military attachés and the international press.