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Ukrainian Armed Forces Adapt Humvees with Aircraft Cannons for Enhanced Firepower.
In a move that underscores the Ukrainian military's adaptability and resourcefulness, the Air Force Rifle Brigade has successfully modified tactical Humvee vehicles into improvised "gun trucks," equipped with the powerful GSh-23 aircraft cannon. This initiative, reported by the Ukrainian MoD, highlights Ukraine’s innovative approach to bolstering frontline firepower with available resources.

The Air Force Rifle Brigade has successfully modified tactical Humvee vehicles. (Picture source: Ukrainian MoD)
Recently, the brigade conducted live-fire exercises using these modified Humvees, where crews engaged in a series of tactical maneuvers, enhancing both their firing accuracy and operational efficiency. The exercises featured a combination of direct-fire and indirect-fire operations, with the latter carried out from concealed positions. To support precision targeting, reconnaissance drones were employed to adjust the fire beyond line-of-sight.
At the core of these "gun trucks" is the GSh-23L, a 23mm automatic cannon originally designed for aircraft use. The cannon is capable of firing both armor-piercing and high-explosive fragmentation rounds at rates of 500 to 3,500 rounds per minute in controlled bursts. With an effective direct-fire range of up to 2 kilometers, the weapon’s range can extend significantly further—up to 6 kilometers—when deployed in high-arc, indirect-fire mode.
While the GSh-23L was initially designed for use on airborne platforms, adapting it to ground combat has posed some challenges. The cannon was not intended to withstand the harsh environmental conditions typically encountered on the battlefield. Notably, it lacks mechanical sights and is more vulnerable to contamination than typical ground weapons, which could impair its functionality.
To overcome these obstacles, Ukrainian engineers have mounted the GSh-23L on a custom-designed turret that includes an integrated ammunition feeding system. It is believed that the engineers have also incorporated makeshift optical targeting mechanisms to compensate for the cannon's inherent limitations when used on the ground.
As of January 2024, the United States had committed 1,999 armored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs, commonly known as Humvees) to Ukraine, with an additional 300 M113 armored personnel carriers.
Regarding losses, specific figures detailing the number of Humvees captured or destroyed by Russian forces are not readily available in the provided sources. However, reports indicate that Ukrainian forces have effectively utilized these vehicles in various combat scenarios, including cross-border operations. For instance, during a cross-border raid into Russia's Belgorod region in May 2023, images surfaced showing damaged Humvees, suggesting their involvement in such operations.
This adaptation of the GSh-23L on Humvees exemplifies Ukraine's ongoing efforts to maximize the capabilities of existing military equipment, offering valuable lessons in military ingenuity and adaptability in the face of rapidly evolving combat conditions.