Ukrainian defense industry produces eight "Bohdana" self-propelled howitzers monthly – NYT
Ukrainian wheeled self-propelled howitzer 2S22 "Bohdana". Photo: Army Inform
The monthly production of Ukrainian self-propelled howitzers "Bohdana" has risen to eight, up from the previous number of six units.
The New York Times reported this.
In a recent military briefing in December 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that production of the "Bohdana" self-propelled howitzers had been increased to six units.
However, according to NYT sources, the manufacturing of Ukrainian self-propelled howiters, known as "Bohdana," has currently reached a rate of eight units per month.
"Ukraine's arms industry is now building eight Bohdan self-propelled artillery systems every month, and although officials are not saying how many have been built in total, the increase in production signals a potential boom in domestic arms production," the report reads.
According to the publication, Ukrainian defense enterprises have:
- tripled their production of armored vehicles;
- quadrupled their production of anti-tank missiles.
For reference:
The "Bohdana" self-propelled howitzer is a wheeled 155 mm artillery system from Ukraine. Development has been ongoing since at least 2018, making it the first Ukrainian self-propelled gun designed with the standard 155 mm caliber used by NATO countries.
This caliber is the standard for field artillery of NATO member countries, in contrast to the 152 mm caliber, which was adopted during the times of the USSR.
The self-propelled howitzer is constructed on the KrAZ chassis, featuring a paired armored cabin designed to accommodate a crew of five. It is equipped with an automated guidance system using Siemens controllers and an automatic loading system capable of holding six rounds of ammunition. The loading, aiming, and firing functions can be operated inside or outside the cockpit.
The prototype was already handed over to the Ukrainian military during the full-scale invasion by Russia. It is currently being utilized on the frontlines to defend against Russian aggression.
Valery Zaluzhny, the former Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's armed forces, stated that the "Bohdana" self-propelled gun operated on the captured Zmiinyi Island (also known as Snake Island) and played a crucial role in its liberation from the Russian garrison.
This year, it was officially adopted by Ukraine's armed forces.
It is known through open sources that only seven of them, including non-standard models, are currently used by Ukrainian forces.
As previously reported, last spring, the Ministry of Defense financed the production of domestic artillery systems. Therefore, Ukrainian artillery will support Western tanks at the front.
It should be noted that Ukraine has agreed with the Slovak defense company Konštrukta Defense to develop a new howitzer, using the Slovak self-propelled gun Zuzana as a basis.
