Former Belgian army M109A4BE 155mm howitzers purchased by UK now deployed in Ukraine.

According to pictures published by the "Ukraine Weapons Tracker" Twitter account on January 17, 2023, the former Belgian army M109A4BE 155mm self-propelled tracked howitzers that were purchased by the United Kingdom from the Belgian company FTS (Flanders Technical Supply) are now deployed in Ukraine by the Ukrainian 17th Tank Brigade.
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Former Belgian army M109A4BE 155mm self-propelled howitzers purchased by the UK are now in service with the 17th Tank Brigade of the Ukrainian army. (Picture source: Twitter Ukraine Weapons Tracker)

In June 2022, the Army Recognition editorial team reported that the Belgian private company Flanders Technical Supply (FTS) delivered to Ukraine a stock of 64 M109A4 self-propelled howitzers which had been purchased by the company from the Belgian army in 2015 after they had been expensively refurbished up to the last bolt at the Arsenal of Rocourt... to no avail for the Belgian army, as they were put on sale after their complete renovation (a decision taken by the then Defense minister André Flahaut that would cause bitter resentment among the Belgian tax-payers). From then on, the Belgian army had no longer heavy artillery, hence the recent order of Nexter CAESAR NG wheeled self-propelled howitzers to recreate that component in the army.

Citing information from the Ukrainian press agency Ukrinform, the Belgian M109A4BE howitzers were purchased by the United Kingdom. Quoting British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, it is confirmed that the United Kingdom bought and refurbished more than 20 M109 155mm self-propelled howitzers from a Belgian company to offer them to Ukraine.

Indeed, in 2015, as written here above, the Belgian private company Flanders Technical Supply (FTS) bought 64 M109A4BE 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers that were previously operated by several artillery battalions of the Belgian army. In 2008, the Belgian army had withdrawn from active service its 64 remaining SPHs.

When stored in a warehouse located near Antwerp, the Belgian M109A2/A3 155mm self-propelled howitzers had thus just been modernized to the M109A4BE standard through an “MLU M109 program” (Mid-life Update). The decision, taken in 2003, aimed only at optimizing their sale value, an updating operation "that would not cost a lot"... but actually did. In November 2018, during IndoDefense exhibition in Jakarta, Army Recognition's Chief Editor discussed with one of the two Belgian owners of FTS company, who laughed at the absolutely ridiculous price he had paid for those almost brand-new SPHs, an incredibly good bargain! The pictures he showed spoke for themselves.

The M109A4BE of the Belgian army has a similar layout as the one of the original M109A2/A3, keeping 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 turret has a traverse of 360° with an elevation from -5° to +75°.

The M109A4BE is operated by a crew of 6: 2 loaders, 1 gunner, 1 assistant gunner, 1 commander, and 1 driver. It has a combat weight of 24,948 kg with a length of 9.12 m, a width of 3.15 m, and a height of 3.28 m. The howitzer is powered by a Detroit 8V-71 Turbo Diesel engine coupled to an Allison XTG411-series transmission. It can reach 64 km/h on hard surfaces, with a maximum cruising range of 350 km.

Former Belgian army M109A4BE 155mm self-propelled howitzer now in service with the 17th Tank Brigade of the Ukrainian army (Picture source: Twitter Ukraine Weapons Tracker)