Ukrainian forces deploy OF‑540 shells against Russian positions
Artillery systems and ammunition for them are of paramount significance to Ukraine, as per Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, at the outset of 2024. The country has long faced a shortage of artillery ammunition; thus, according to the intelligence chief, there's an immediate requirement to substantially increase the supply of weapons, regardless of their age and type.
As more recordings of Ukrainian artillery shelling Russian positions are being exposed online, one of the recently published photos reveals that ammunition from Poland also partakes in the attacks. This represents one of the few documented cases of Polish-made ammunition being deployed on the front.
In the pictures shared by user @Dawid_92PL on Platform X, you can discern an OF-540 shell (cal. 6 inches) from the Mesko factory in Skarżysko-Kamiennej destined for Dana howitzers. We should note that the OF-540 is a fragmented high-explosive projectile, which - as the photos illustrate - is not from military reserves but was manufactured in 2022. The Defence24 portal notes that this suggests that this type of shell delivery was made from current production and may continue into 2023. The described ammunition is being used to shell the Russians with Dana howitzers.
So far, Ukrainians have received at least 13 Dana model 77 artillery systems. This is Czechoslovakian weaponry mounted on a Tatra T-815 8x8 truck chassis. The gun of this system is a 152 mm calibre howitzer with a barrel length of 36 calibres, capable of launching projectiles ranging from approximately 11 miles (with OF-540 shells) to around 17 miles (with DN1CZ ammunition).
The weapon system's rate of fire is 4 shots per minute. An additional armament of the Dana model 77 artillery is a large-calibre DSzKM machine gun with a 0.5 in calibre. The vehicle weighs almost 66,000 lbs, and thanks to the Tatra T2-930-34 power unit producing 345 HP, it can reach top speeds of about 50 mph.
