Ukraine bolsters artillery with American M109 howitzers
As the Militarnyi portal writes, the American M109s have already been spotted in five Ukrainian brigades. The 2S22 Bogdana is also rapidly increasing in numbers on the front lines. This situation clearly signals to the world that Soviet-era artillery positions in the Ukrainian ranks are systematically being replaced by more modern self-propelled howitzers.
American self-propelled howitzers M109 have been introduced into service in five brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces. This has been confirmed by photos published on the official social media profiles of these units and reports from Ukrainian media. The M109s are being used by the 156th Mechanized Brigade, the 1st Armoured Brigade, the 25th Airborne Brigade, the 32nd Mechanized Brigade, and the newly formed 425th Independent Assault Regiment "Rock."
Modernization of Ukrainian artillery
Militarnyi highlights that the M109s are replacing outdated Soviet-era systems, such as 2S1 Gvozdika and 2S3 Akatsiya, which use 122 mm and 152 mm calibre guns, and even the towed D-30 howitzers, which until recently were used by the 156th Mechanized Brigade. The American howitzers are equipped with 155 mm calibre guns, allowing them to fire at greater distances and use more varied ammunition that meets NATO standards (e.g., M549A1 projectiles with a booster).
In the service of the Ukrainian army, the M109s are predominantly in the A3 and A4 versions. As shown in front-line photos, they have been equipped with anti-drone cages and sometimes operate from fortified firing positions. However, a smaller number of the newer A6 Paladin variants have also reached the front, offering greater capabilities due to digital fire control systems, more efficient propulsion, and better armour.
Militarnyi writes that the relatively extensive rearming to Western self-propelled guns can be explained by new foreign deliveries, as well as the release of artillery vehicles from other units that have received more 2S22 Bogdanas.
Domestic production of 2S22 Bogdana
Ukraine is significantly accelerating domestic production of the 2S22 Bohdanas, which, according to Militarnyj, have already been adopted by at least 18 Ukrainian brigades. A report by Army Technology published on April 25 indicates that the production scale of these self-propelled howitzers has increased to as many as 36 units per month.
The Ukrainians have implemented a 155 mm calibre gun with a barrel length of 52 calibres in their self-propelled howitzers. For basic projectiles, this provides a maximum range of about 30 kilometres, but using projectiles with a booster allows targeting at distances of up to 60 kilometres. It is also possible to use the MRSI (Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact) mode, where fired shells hit the target at the same time. Besides the 2S22 Bohdana, the Ukrainians are also developing a towed version known as Bohdana-B. It is less mobile but has the same 155 mm calibre gun and remains significantly cheaper to produce.
