Ukraine's silent giants: Artillery setback amid shell scarcity
According to "Forbes" analyst David Axe, Ukraine's most powerful 2S7 Pion artillery guns are becoming increasingly "silent." In his assessment, this is not due to the Ukrainian army's equipment losses but rather issues with ammunition. This is because non-standard 203 mm calibre shells are used, and the group of potential suppliers is very small.
Axe notes that at the start of the war in February 2022, the Ukrainian army had roughly 100 2S7 Pion howitzers in service. They were involved in the initial defence of Kyiv and were then dispersed across the country to support Ukrainian brigades operating along the eastern front line. In recent months, they have been used infrequently, although the Russians have destroyed (or captured) only about 10 units. The problem for the Ukrainians is the 203 mm calibre shells.
Ukrainians have a problem with ammunition for the 2S7 Pion
Ukrainian stocks of these shells have most likely been depleted. Currently, only Russia is producing them, so Kyiv is compelled to seek reinforcements from allies. However, this is a challenging task. Reports from the front confirmed that Ukrainians used, among others, American M106 artillery shells in the 2S7 Pion.
The administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden provided Ukraine with approximately 10,000 M105 and M106 shells in 2023. According to Axe, it will be difficult to expect more now, both due to Donald Trump's approach and the fact that there is not much of this ammunition left in American stockpiles. The analyst believes that among European countries sympathetic to Ukraine, 203 mm calibre shells may still be found mainly in Greece and Turkey.
"If the 45th Artillery Brigade’s 2S7s disappear and reappear again, look to Turkey to understand why," writes Axe.
Atomic artillery in the war in Ukraine
The 2S7 Pion artillery systems date back to the Soviet Union era. They were designed in the early 1970s. Although they suffer from certain drawbacks (mainly a low rate of fire of 1.5 rounds per minute), in terms of range, they can be compared to NATO artillery.
They can hit targets about 35 kilometres away, and when using shells with rocket assistance, their range increases to up to 50 kilometres. They also provide a significant amount of firepower - the shells weigh about 100 kilograms and cause the ground around the howitzer to shake during firing. Initially, there were even plans to use the 2S7 Pion for firing shells with nuclear and chemical warheads, but currently, they serve neither Ukrainians nor Russians for this purpose.
The 2S7 Pion weighs 46 metric tonnes and measures over 13 metres in length. In 1983, the Russians developed a modernised version of this self-propelled gun - the 2S7 Malka. The focus here was mainly on higher fire rates and more space for additional ammunition.
