Ukraine Receives Cluster Bombs and 155mm Howitzers from US.

On July 7, 2023, the United States announced a new aid package for Ukraine. This package includes artillery systems and ammunition, including improved dual-purpose conventional munitions (DPICM). It also provides additional air defense munitions, armored vehicles, anti-armor weapons, and other equipment.
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M777 155 mm howitzer (Picture source: MoD of Ukraine Facebook )

The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced additional assistance on July 7, 2023, to address Ukraine's security and defense needs. It includes additional artillery systems and ammunition, including DPICM munitions, additional air defense munitions, armored vehicles, anti-armor weapons, and other equipment to assist Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. We will focus here on the cluster bombs and 155mm howitzers portion of the package, but you can find two other parts respectively HERE for the armored vehicles and HERE for the anti-aircraft section, published on July 10, 2023, on Army Recognition.

The American assistance for Ukraine includes the delivery of 31 additional howitzers. But most importantly, it includes the controversial DPICM cluster munitions. These munitions, used by the aforementioned howitzers, are highly effective in combat situations but pose a significant risk of collateral damage. We conducted an analysis on Army Recognition on July 7, 2023, in which we also discussed the possible delivery of these munitions to Ukraine by the United States. The package also includes the delivery of ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).

Today, this possible delivery has been confirmed. Although these munitions are prohibited by many countries worldwide, they are not prohibited by Russia, Ukraine, or the United States. In fact, they have already been used in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict by both sides.

Regarding the delivery of howitzers, at the time of writing these lines, we do not yet know the specific type that will be delivered to Ukraine. However, Ukraine has already received 180 M777s from the United States, and we know that all the equipment sent comes from the inventory of the US Department of Defense. With this information, we can assume that the 31 155mm howitzers will be M777s, bringing the total number sent to Ukraine to over 200. Ukraine has also received 18 M109 self-propelled howitzers from the United States.

The M777 lightweight towed howitzer is a state-of-the-art artillery system used by several countries, including Australia, Canada, India, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, and the United States. Jointly designed by the United States and the United Kingdom, this howitzer offers an impressive firing rate of 5 rounds per minute. It can be operated by a team of 5 to 8 soldiers, making it a versatile and efficient artillery system.

The lightweight towed howitzer has a maximum range of 30 km, which can be extended to 40 km using the Excalibur munition. To facilitate use and enhance precision, this system is equipped with a digital fire control system. This allows operators to accurately calculate the trajectory of the rounds and adjust them based on field conditions.

In terms of dimensions, the lightweight towed howitzer measures 9.275 m in length, 2.770 m in width, and 2.26 m in height in towing mode. When in firing mode, its length reaches 10.21 m, width is 3.720 m, and height is 0.65 m.

The delivery of cluster munitions and 31 howitzer by the United States is risky as it could escalate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. However, it will significantly strengthen Ukraine's offensive capabilities in its efforts to reclaim its national territories from Russia.