Ukrainian howitzer survives six russian attacks, crew escapes

One of the Ukrainian AS-90 self-propelled howitzer crews experienced immense luck. The Russians attacked this nearly 110,000-pound vehicle, which we describe, at least six times, but despite this, they failed to destroy it.

Although the conflict in Ukraine is often referred to as a drone war, experts and soldiers emphasize the significant role of artillery systems. The shortage of shells for these systems was pointed out by Ukrainians as one of the reasons for the loss of Avdiivka.

The AS-90 is one of the weapons that Ukrainians received as part of Western support. These British artillery systems use a 155 mm caliber gun adapted for standard NATO shells. The designers from VSEL Corporation opted for a gun with a barrel length of 39 calibers, which provides a range of up to about 15 miles using standard shells and up to about 19 miles when using rocket-assisted shells.

The AS-90 crew consists of five soldiers. The British howitzer weighs nearly 110,000 pounds. It is self-propelled, using tracked traction and a Cummins VTA 903T-660 engine, and can reach speeds of nearly 37 mph. Recent reports from the front illustrate that it is also very durable.

An exceptionally unusual case caught among reports from the front was described in Forbes. It concerns a recording showing the detection of a Ukrainian AS-90 howitzer by Russian aerial reconnaissance and the subsequent massive attack on it.

First, the Russians shelled the AS-90 using artillery. However, they did not hit it directly, so they decided to target it with FVP drones carrying explosive charges. When these also did not destroy the AS-90, artillery shelling was carried out again, followed by a Lancet drone. After six more attacks, the Ukrainian AS-90 was seriously damaged but did not explode or burn. The crew managed to escape.

It is estimated that the Russians have lost about one-third of their artillery systems since the beginning of the war. Ukrainian losses related to this type of weapon are estimated at half the units they possessed. However, it must be remembered that the invaders initially had significantly larger resources.

The Ukrainians initially had to rely on post-Soviet systems but quickly began receiving Western artillery. In addition to the British AS-90, French CAESARs, German Panzerhaubitze 2000, and Polish AHS Krab also operate on the front.