Ukraine steps up artillery overhaul with M109 howitzers
As the Militarnyi portal reports, the American M109s have now been spotted within five Ukrainian brigades. The 2S22 Bohdana is also rapidly increasing in numbers on the front lines. This development sends a clear signal to the world that the Soviet-era artillery within the Ukrainian forces is being systematically replaced by superior and more modern self-propelled howitzers.
American self-propelled howitzers, M109, have been introduced into service across five brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces. This is confirmed by photographs shared on the official social media profiles of these units and reports from Ukrainian media. The M109s are in use 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".
Modernisation of Ukrainian artillery
Militarnyi highlights that the M109s are replacing obsolete Soviet-era systems, such as 2S1 Gvozdika and 2S3 Akatsiya which utilise 122mm and 152mm calibre guns, and even the towed D-30 howitzers, which were recently equipped in the 156th Mechanized Brigade. The American howitzers are fitted with 155mm calibre guns, enabling them to fire over longer distances and use a wider variety of ammunition that meets NATO standards (e.g., M549A1 projectiles with a booster).
In service with the Ukrainian army, the M109s are predominantly in the A3 and A4 versions, which, as depicted in front-line photos, have been equipped with anti-drone cages and sometimes operate from fortified firing positions. A smaller number of the newer A6 Paladin variants have also reached the front, offering enhanced capabilities due to, among other things, digital fire control systems, more efficient propulsion, and improved armour protection.
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 Bohdana
Ukraine is significantly accelerating domestic production of the 2S22 Bohdanas, which, according to Militarnyi, have now been adopted by at least 18 Ukrainian brigades. A report by Army Technology, published on 25th April, indicates that the production scale of these self-propelled howitzers has increased to as many as 36 units per month.
In their self-propelled howitzers, the Ukrainians have implemented a 155mm calibre gun with a barrel length of 52 calibres. For basic projectiles, this provides a maximum range of about 31 kilometres (roughly 19 miles), but using projectiles with a booster extends the targeting distance up to approximately 60 kilometres (around 37 miles). It is also possible to use the MRSI (Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact) mode, where fired shells hit the target simultaneously. In addition to the 2S22 Bohdana, the Ukrainians are developing a towed version known as Bohdana-B. It is less mobile but features the same 155mm calibre gun and remains significantly cheaper to produce.
