According to a Tweet published by the British Ministry of Defense on February 6, 2023, the first Ukrainian soldiers arrived in the UK for training on the AS-90 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers, which the British government will donate to the Ukrainian armed forces.
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Ukrainian soldiers arrived in the United Kingdom to be trained on AS90 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers. (Picture source British MoD)
On January 16, 2023, the British Ministry of Defense announced that the United Kingdom will supply Ukraine with eight British-made AS90 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers coming from the British army inventory.
Citing information published by the British Ministry of Defense, "We will donate AS90 guns to Ukraine. This comprises a battery of eight guns at high readiness and two further batteries at varying states of readiness. This donation will not impact our existing AS90 commitment to Estonia".
Citing information published by the CSIS "Center for Strategic & International Studies", the war in Ukraine has become an artillery war. Stable front lines, increasingly effective kill chains, and reduced scope for air power have created an environment where ground firepower trumps maneuver, at least for the moment. While weapons like High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and Javelins have received the most media attention, artillery has proven that it is still the “king of battle” by the intensity of its use.
Artillery systems provided by the US and European countries offer a greater firing range than the artillery weapon systems used by the Russian army. Indeed, counter-battery fire, the tactic of hunting for and firing at the enemy’s artillery pieces, remains a weak spot in Ukraine’s military. But the acquisition of Western artillery, which is technologically superior to older Soviet pieces used by Russia, has saved Ukraine’s defensive campaign.
The AS90 is a British-made 155mm self-propelled artillery howitzer in service with the British Army. It entered service with the British Army in the early 1990s and has been used in several conflicts, including the Gulf War, the Iraq War, and the War in Afghanistan.
The AS90 is equipped with a 155mm L31 ordnance gun, which is a type of artillery gun that fires shells to engage targets at ranges up to 30 km wit standard rounds and 40 km with extended-range ammunition. The gun is mounted on a tracked chassis, providing mobility and enabling it to be rapidly deployed on the battlefield. The crew consists of the driver plus four or three operators in the cupola, a commander, a gun layer, and an ammunition loader.
The AS-90 is powered by a Cummins V8 diesel engine developing 600 hp coupled to a ZF Gears Ltd automatic transmission with four forward and two reverse gears. It can run at a maximum road speed of 55 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 370 km.
British army AS90 155mm self-propelled howitzer. (Picture source British MoD)
