Analysis: Discover list new artillery weapons of Ukrainian army after delivery of foreign equipment
UPDATE June 6, 2022 Analysis: After the delivery of a large number of artillery systems to Ukraine by foreign countries, the Ukrainian army will have one of the most powerful artillery capabilities in the world including weapons systems from Russia that were in service with the Ukrainian army before the war and all the artillery weapons that were donated mainly by Europe and the United States. In this article, discover the new artillery power of the Ukrainian army.
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As of today, Ukraine has already received or will receive a wide range of artillery weapons mainly from European countries and the United States.
Citing information from the Military balance 2021, before the beginning of the war the Ukrainian army had the following artillery systems including 607 self-propelled howitzers with 292 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika 122m, 249 152mm 2S3 Akatsiya, 18 152mm 2S5 Giatsint-S, 35 152mm 2S19 Msta-S, 13 203mm 2S7 Pion and up to 83 2S7 Pion in store.
The Ukrainian army also had 515 towed howitzers/guns including 75 122mm D-30, 180 2A36 152mm Giatsint-B, 130 152mm 2A65 Msta-B, 130 122mm D-20 as well as mortars with 2 120mm 2B16 NONA-K, 190 120mm 2S12 Sani 120mm, 30 M-1938 (PM-38) and 120 M120-15.
Rocket launchers are also part of Ukraine's artillery power including 185 122mm BM-21 Grad, 70 220mm BM-27 9P140 Uragan, 81 300mm Vilkha/Adler, and 81 BM-30 9A52 Smerch.
Ukrainian Army D-30 122mm towed howitzer.
As of today, Ukraine has already received or will receive a wide range of artillery weapons mainly from European countries and the United States. Below, you can discover the new vehicles and artillery systems of the Ukrainian army.
In January 2022, Estonia requested approval from Germany to deliver D-30 122mm howitzers and ammunition. The D-30 is a Russian-made 122mm towed howitzer that entered service with the former Soviet Army in the early 1960s.
The D-30 has a maximum rate of fire of 6-8 rounds per minute and about 75 rounds per hour. The D-30 fires FRAG-HE and HEAT-FS variable-charge, case-type, separate-loading ammunition. Using standard HE-Frag shells, the D-30 has a maximum firing range of 15.4 km.
M777 155mm towed howitzer of Ukrainian army
Ukraine has already received M777 and M777A2 155mm towed howitzers, including 108 units from the United States, 4 from Canada, and six from Australia. The M777 is towed howitzer manufactured by BAE Systems' Global Combat Systems division.
The gun of the M777 has a maximum firing range of 24.7km with unassisted rounds and 30 km with rocket-assisted rounds. The latest version, the M777A2 can fire the Raytheon / Bofors Excalibur GPS / Inertial Navigation-guided extended-range 155mm projectiles using the Modular Artillery Charge Systems (MACS). Using Excalibur ammunition, it has a maximum firing range of 40 km and an accuracy of 10 m.
German army PzH 2000 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzer
Germany and Netherlands will provide 12 PzH 2000 howitzers to Ukraine, five of which are coming from the Netherlands, and seven will be supplied by Germany. The PzH 2000 is a German-made 155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer developed by German companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW).
The main armament of the PzH 2000 consists of a Rheinmetall 155mm 52 cal. gun with a chromium-plated barrel and semi-automatic lifting breech block with an integrated 32-round standard primer magazine. The howitzer is able to fire all the standard NATO 155 mm ammunition. It has a maximum firing range of 30 km with standard HE-FRAG (High Explosive Fragmentation) projectiles and 40 km with extended range projectiles.
German Cobra mobile counter artillery radar
Germany will also supply COBRA counter-artillery radar to Ukraine. The COBRA mission is to locate mortars, rocket launchers and artillery batteries and to provide information for countering their effectiveness. With a detection range of up to 100 km COBRA is capable of locating and classifying up to 40 batteries in two minutes. It will also be able to monitor breaches of cease-fire when deployed in a peace-keeping role.
Ukrainian army DANA 152mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer.
The Czech Republic gave 20 DANA 8x8 152mm self-propelled howitzers and 20 RM-70 122mm MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) to Ukraine.
The Dana 152 mm is a truck-mounted self-propelled gun-howitzer that was developed in the late 1970s by Czech company ZTS to meet the operational requirements of the Czech Army for a highly mobile self-propelled artillery system. This artillery vehicle is armed with one 152mm with a muzzle brake and fires the same ammunition as the Russian-made 152 mm 2S3 tracked self-propelled howitzer. It has a maximum firing range of 20 km with standard ammunition and 28 km with extended range ammunition.
Czech RM-70 122mm MLRS Multiple Launch Rocket System
The RM-70 is a 122mm Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) developed in Czechoslovak which is a heavier variant of the Soviet-made BM-21 Grad. The 122-mm rockets are essentially the same as those fired from the Soviet/Russian BM-21 Grad (Cherrystone) system, with a range of 20,000 m.
Ukraine Army CAESAR 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer
On April 22, 2022, France approved the delivery of 12 state-of-the-art CAESAR 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers. The CAESAR 155mm howitzers delivered to Ukraine are based on a 6x6 Arquus military truck chassis and are armed with a 155mm gun offering exceptional strategic and tactical mobility with unrivaled firepower.
The CAESAR 155mm howitzer can reach land targets at long distances with a firing range from 4.5 to 40 km, and a high level of accuracy using the LU ammunition family. It can also used be in direct firing mode with a maximum range of 2 km.
Italy M109L 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzer
April 27, 2022: Italy is considering different options for delivering arms to Ukraine including 155mm artillery howitzers PzH 2000, M109L, as well as Sidam 25, tracked air defense armored vehicles, M113A1 and VCC-1 tracked APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) vehicles, Iveco VM90 and LMV 4x4 light tactical vehicles.
Norwegian M109A3 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzer used by Ukrainian soldiers
On May 1, 2022, Norway confirmed the delivery of 20 M109A3GN 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine. The M109A3GN is the Norwegian version of the M109A3G which is a German upgrade of the American M-109A3 armed with a new 39 caliber barrel allowing the firing of improved 155 mm ammunition including high-explosive, illuminating and smoke, all of which can be fired to a maximum range of 24,700 m. Enhanced range projectiles, such as base bleed, can be fired to a range of 30,000 m.
M114 155mm towed howitzer
On May 9, 2022, the government of Portugal approved the sending of combat vehicles and weapons to Ukraine including 15 M113 tracked armored APC (Armored Personnel Carrier), as well as five M114 155mm, towed howitzers.
The M114 is a 155 mm towed howitzer developed and used by the United States Army. It was first produced in 1942 as a medium artillery piece under the designation of 155 mm Howitzer M1. It can fire all the NATO 155 mm/39 caliber STANAG ammunition. It has a maximum firing range of 32,900 m using ERFB-BB projectiles.
Ukrainian army FH70 155mm towed howitzer
On May 15, 2022, Italy approved the supply of FH70 155mm towed howitzers. The FH70 is a 155mm towed howitzer jointly developed by the United Kingdom and Germany. It uses 155mm 39-caliber ordnance with a double baffle muzzle brake and sliding breech block. The howitzer is operated by a crew of 8 soldiers, while the minimum combat team is 4 men.
The FH-70 can fire all the standard 155mm NATO ammunition with a maximum firing range of 24.7 km or 30 km with extended range shells. The howitzer is normally towed by a 5 tons military truck that also carries the crew and ammunition. It is also equipped with an APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) allowing the FH-70 to move on its own and enabling a shoot-and-scoot ability.
Polish-made Krab 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzer.
On May 29, 2022, Poland had delivered 18 Krab 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine and on June 4, 2022, it was announced that Poland signed a new agreement with Ukraine to deliver 60 new 155mm howitzers that will be manufactured by the polish company HSW (Huta Stalowa Wola).
The main armament of the Krab consists of a 155mm/52 caliber gun which has a burst rate of fire of three rounds per ten seconds. The cannon can fire a wide range of 155mm NATO ammunition with a maximum firing range of 40 km. The vehicle can carry 40 rounds of ammunition that are stored inside the turret and chassis.
Slovak Zuzana 2 155mm 8x8 wheeled self-propelled howitzer
On June 1, 2022, the Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Naď confirmed that Slovakia will deliver 8 Zuzana 2 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine.
The Zuzana 2 is the latest generation of 8x8 self-propelled howitzer in the Dana152mm wheeled howitzer family and it's an upgraded version of the Zuzana. The main armament consists of one 155mm/52 caliber gun. The gun has a maximum firing range of 41 km with extended range ammunition. This artillery vehicle is fitted with an automatic loading system that enables a maximum firing range in automatic mode of 5 rounds per minute or 5 rounds in one minute.
American-made M142 HIMARS MLRS Rocket/Missile launcher vehicle.
Following a statement published on June 3, 2022, by the United States Department of Defense, the United States approved the delivery of four M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems), rocket/missile launcher systems.
The American-made M142 HIMARS is one of the most modern rocket launcher systems in the world which is able to fire guided rockets and tactical missiles. The rocket/missile launcher station is mounted on 6x6 truck chassis. The rear of the truck can be fitted with six rockets or one MGM-140 ATACMS surface-to-surface long-range tactical missile. Using the missile, the HIMARS is able to reach a land target at a range of up to 300 km.
Belgian M109A4BE 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzer
On June 4, 2022, information was published on Internet announcing that the Belgian private company Flanders Technical Supply (FTS) delivered to Ukraine a stock of 64 M109A4 howitzers.
The M109A4BE has a similar layout to the original M109A2/A3 and it keeps the 155 mm/39 caliber cannon with gun mount 178. It has a firing range from 18.5 to 23.5 km. It is fitted with the SAL (Semi-Automatic Loader) with Breech Activating Device (BAD) and Temperature Measurement System (TMS) that increases the firing rate to 3 rounds within the first 20 seconds and a total of 6 rounds within the first minute.
The M270B1 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), nicknamed the '70km Sniper', provides pinpoint accuracy in delivering a 90 kg high explosive warhead to its target, with twice the range of other conventional artillery systems. (Picture source British Mod)
On June 6, 2022, the British Ministry of Defense announced the donation of an undisclosed number of M270 227 MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) to Ukraine.
According to the military balance 2021, the British armed forces have a total of 35 M270B1, 227mm MLRS Multiple Launch Rocket System. The M270B1 is an improved version of the American M270 MLRS.
The M270B1 can carry two launch pods, each containing either six Guided MLRS (GMLRS)/MLRS rockets or one Army Tactical Missile System missile. When firing GMLRS-Unitary precision rockets, MLRS can achieve ranges of 70-plus kilometers, attacking the target with low-collateral damage, enabling danger-close fires (within 200 meters) in support of friendly troops in contact, as well as engaging high-valued point targets in open, urban and complex environments. Using a tactical missile, the M270A1 can reach a target at a range of up to 300 km.