Ukraine upgrades artillery with modern M109s and 2S22 Bogdanas
As reported by the Militarnyi portal, American M109s have been identified in five Ukrainian brigades. The 2S22 Bogdana is also rapidly increasing in numbers on the front lines. This signals to the world that Soviet-era artillery in the Ukrainian ranks is systematically being replaced by better and more modern self-propelled howitzers.
American self-propelled howitzers M109 have been put into service in five brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces. This has been confirmed by photos published on the official profiles of these units on social media and reports from Ukrainian media. The M109s are used by the 156th Mechanized Brigade, the 1st Armored Brigade, the 25th Airborne Brigade, the 32nd Mechanized Brigade, and the newly formed 425th Independent Assault Regiment "Rock".
Modernization of Ukrainian artillery
Militarnyi points out that the M109s are replacing outdated Soviet-era systems, such as 2S1 Gvozdika and 2S3 Akatsiya, which use 122 mm and 152 mm caliber guns, as well as the towed D-30 howitzers, which until recently were equipped in the 156th Mechanized Brigade. The American howitzers come with 155 mm caliber guns, allowing them to fire at greater distances and use more varied ammunition that meets NATO standards, like the M549A1 projectiles with a booster.
In the Ukrainian army, the M109s are predominantly in the A3 and A4 versions. Front-line photos show that these versions are 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 greater capabilities due to features like digital fire control systems, more efficient propulsion, and improved armor.
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 Bogdanas, which Militarnyi reports have already been adopted by at least 18 Ukrainian brigades. A report by Army Technology published on April 25 indicates that the production rate of these self-propelled howitzers has risen to as many as 36 units per month.
In their self-propelled howitzers, the Ukrainians have implemented a 155 mm caliber gun with a barrel length of 52 calibers. For basic projectiles, this provides a maximum range of about 19 miles, but using projectiles with a booster allows targeting at distances of up to 37 miles. 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 Bogdana, the Ukrainians are developing a towed version known as Bohdana-B. It is less mobile but has the same 155 mm caliber gun and remains significantly cheaper to produce.
