Ukraine's impressive leap in Howitzer production exceeds NATO
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced that Ukraine produced 154 2S22 Bogdana howitzers per month in 2024, a number higher than that of all NATO countries combined. We present behind-the-scenes details of its production and the performance of the howitzer, whose fate strongly resembles the Polish Krab.
During a press conference with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, the number 154 for the 2S22 Bogdana howitzers produced in 2024 was mentioned. This is said to be a volume greater than that of all NATO countries combined.
The Ukrainians seem to be exaggerating a bit here, as the French Nexter Group reportedly aimed to reach a production level of up to 12 CAESAR howitzers per month in 2024 according to information from the beginning of last year. That's just France; you should also add Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Sweden, and the USA.
Artillery production is a difficult process
It is worth noting that the Ukrainian industry has shifted to wartime production, compared to the Western industry, which has also increased its capabilities. A key component for producing the 2S22 Bogdana howitzer is the 155 mm calibre barrels with a length of 52 calibres. Besides meeting domestic needs, Western barrel manufacturers are also supplying new barrels for artillery systems transferred to Ukraine.
One can assume that the Kramatorsk Heavy Machine Tool Building Works may have limited production capabilities due to the war, as huge machines for barrel production cannot be easily moved and hidden. The current barrels Ukrainians use may be largely sourced from subcontractors in Europe. There are not many of these, for example, one of them is the Slovakian factories within the ZTS Special group, with which Ukrainians have been cooperating for several years.
2S22 Bogdana — a cheap yet effective howitzer
The Ukrainian howitzer 2S22 Bogdana, whose history is similar to the Polish Krab, is the first Ukrainian artillery piece in the NATO-standard 155 mm calibre. The idea was similar to that of Poland, as initially, Ukrainians wanted to design it themselves, but ultimately it involved foreign partners.
It involved the Czech company Tatra with its Phoenix 8x8 chassis, which is well-known in the Ukrainian industry. Conceptually, the 2S22 Bogdana is very similar to the French CAESAR, as it is a 155 mm calibre gun with a length of 52 calibres mounted on a truck chassis. However, compared to earlier versions, it has been armoured to protect against artillery fragments and partly against FPV drone attacks.
The Ukrainian howitzer is equipped with a semi-automatic loading system with a rate of fire of up to 6 rounds per minute, requiring only the removal of the projectile from the magazine and insertion into the nearby feeder. This is a simple and relatively reliable system, although it requires some of the crew to be outside.
The range of the Bogdana depends on the type of ammunition, as for basic DM121 shells the effective maximum range is approximately 31 kilometres, while using M549A1 rocket-assisted shells allows for striking targets up to 60 kilometres away. Optionally, the 2S22 Bogdana can also fire-guided M982 Excalibur projectiles, offering a range of over 50 kilometres, but in the era of GPS jammers, they have become almost useless.
The Ukrainian howitzer can also fire in MRSI (Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact) mode, where fired shells reach the target simultaneously, maximizing the destructive effect. This gives the system a clear advantage over Russian armament in the 122 mm and 152 mm calibres in terms of range, precision, and firepower.
