Souvenirs rain down from heavy mortars
Placing deep into the enemy's lair
The final phrase is had by the Sich gunners
Rostov will get its grim cargo of despair,
(c) Ukrainian band Komu Vnyz, "Artillery March" (phrases by Dmytro Savchenko)
Sumy is a cornerstone of Ukrainian artillery. This metropolis birthed specialised academic establishments, a missile forces and artillery analysis centre, and the legendary twenty seventh Artillery Brigade named after Kish otaman Petro Kalnyshevsky. [Kish otaman was the elected leader and main commander of the Zaporozhian Cossacks – ed.]
In 2014, Pavlo Narozhnyi from Sumy launched Reactive Publish – a specialised charitable basis devoted solely to artillerymen. Initially supporting simply the twenty seventh Brigade, its attain has since expanded to over 40 items.
Right this moment, tens of millions of hryvnias movement by way of this centered fund every month. It delivers all the pieces from picket mock-ups of M777 howitzers to Bosch vacuum cleaners for cleansing mud from German self-propelled weapons, all despatched to the entrance traces.
The fund’s specialists additionally procure imported navy gear, construct cellular workshops and equip officer headquarters – boosting Ukrainian artillery the place state assets fall brief.
Since 2022, Reactive Publish has turbocharged its efforts. Regardless of the rise of FPV drones, artillery stays an important, uniquely efficient weapon in opposition to the Russians, rising stronger with every passing yr.
Pavlo’s workplace feels extra like a museum of Ukrainian artillery – adorned with autographed flags, chevrons, acknowledgments, fragments of uncommon ammunition and classic gear. Over two hours, we delved into the best howitzers in Ukraine’s arsenal, the evolution of the Bohdana self-propelled gun, the rivalry between conventional tubed artillery and FPV drones, and the sting Ukrainian artillery holds over Russian forces.
Will FPV drones outshine artillery?
So many songs have a good time Ukrainian artillery. What’s your favorite?
In all probability the enduring Arta by the band Pyriatyn. It captures the artillery spirit like no different.
In case you image marines, you see ripped fighters taking down enemies with their naked arms. However gunners are a special breed. They’re not the fittest guys – usually people who smoke, lounging in trenches, wielding wrenches to fine-tune howitzers to perfection.
Artillerymen are all about gruelling each day labour; they spend extra time prepping than firing.
There’s a lot of buzz about assault drones, however little about artillery’s technological leap ahead. It may appear outdated or Soviet-era. What’s the true story?
With the beginning of the full-scale battle, using artillery remodeled. Starlink and reconnaissance drones grew to become customary. What does this entail?
Till 2022, artillery fireplace was largely adjusted by individuals with binoculars and laser rangefinders. Now that’s a lot much less frequent, and fireplace is directed by reconnaissance drones.
This can be a large change in accuracy, ammunition economic system and response pace. You’ll be able to fireplace instantly and report a success. From recognizing a goal to firing, it’s now simply minutes.
Pavlo Narozhnyi within the Reactive Publish workplace
Right this moment, artillery has massive, fashionable headquarters. Artillerymen use the Kropyva (Nettle) program, into which vary tables are loaded for nearly all sorts of ammunition, of which we’ve got about 50 differing kinds and producers. There, you can too calculate the set up top of a video digital camera for observing one object or one other.
Kropyva itself has a assist service. A brand new shell arrives, the gunner writes to the operator and asks about it. And so they inform him that this specific projectile is similar to a different, so he must enter this, this and that into the desk.
Some whisper artillery’s days are numbered with FPV drones on the rise…
FPV is a high-precision instrument, but it surely most frequently carries 2-3 kilograms of explosives. An artillery projectile, if we’re speaking about 152-/155-calibres, is 8 kg of explosives and 40 kg of the projectile itself, which can be essential. And it falls on the enemy at supersonic pace.
Let’s think about a concrete dugout. Russians learn about drones; they grasp nets and set up metal doorways that gained’t be straightforward to interrupt by way of. However an artillery shell will merely destroy it by way of the roof.
In case you take 30 cm of concrete, FPV drones gained’t break by way of such reinforcement. Artillery, then again, boasts particular concrete-piercing shells the place the detonator is on the again, not the entrance. This implies the projectile flies into the fortification, breaks by way of the concrete at pace and explodes inside.
And we’ve solely simply began with the sorts of ammunition. For instance, there are additionally cluster munitions. These include 88 grenades, 10 of that are cumulative. A really efficient instrument in opposition to assaults.
There’s additionally a distant mining projectile. These are unbelievable – our troopers have fired tens of hundreds of them. They open within the air and sow the realm with explosive pucks – small grey packing containers. They explode when an infantryman steps on them or an armoured automobile drives over them.
Fairly often, we see a video of a drone ending off a tank that has simply stopped within the area. And why did it cease there? As a result of its tracks have been torn off by this ammunition.
Again in ATO instances, we have been wowed by videos of Ukrainian artillery batteries unleashing synchronised salvoes on Russians. The place’d that go? [ATO or the Anti-Terrorist Operation is a term used from 2014 to 2018 by the media, the government of Ukraine and the OSCE to identify combat actions in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts against Russian military forces and pro-Russian separatists – ed.]
Now we function completely with one gun from hidden positions. This occurred for 2 causes.
The primary is because of our reconnaissance drones, which permit pinpoint focusing on.
The second is that enemy FPVs and Lancet drones are always on the hunt for our tools and responding to clusters of forces.
Salvo of the Uragan MLRS from the twenty seventh Artillery Brigade
Which Ukrainian artillery system shines brightest on this battle?
I’m an enormous fan of the Swedish Archer. This can be a totally automated self-propelled gun, a marvel from all factors of view. An individual presses a button, the armoured capsule rises by itself, stands on the jacks by itself, the system itself takes the powder cost, and shoots with surgical accuracy for 40+ kilometres. There’s even a pan within the cabin to organize lunch.
However it has its personal nuances. As soon as I requested how its upkeep was going. It requires 22 (!) sorts of lubricant to maintain it in fight situation.
Pavlo Narozhnyi beside the Swedish Archer self-propelled gun
The identical goes for the German Panzerhaubitze 2000. I actually prefer it. It’s correct, quick. A giant plus is that it’s primarily based on the Leopard 2 tank. The crew is totally armoured. Officers from one unit stated: ‘We’ve got many of the crews concussed by assaults, however nobody has been killed but.’
But it’s a diva. As soon as, the forty third Brigade’s Oleh Shevchuk rang me for eight Bosch vacuum cleaners – I assumed, what’s this, cleansing day? It turned out that the system may be very delicate to mud, and it must be vacuumed and blown out each day. Or in the summertime, if the mannequin is with out air con, it will possibly overheat and cease firing.
There was additionally a shaggy dog story with equipment. Our gunners on the Panzerhaubitze 2000 needed to shout at one another for a very long time throughout firing as a result of these self-propelled weapons got here to Ukraine from Italy and German helmets with comms gadgets didn’t work with them. We needed to search for used Italian helmets.
Panzerhaubitze 2000 Picture from open sources
"If we’re speaking about one of the best artillery system, then a fancy set of assorted components have to be taken into consideration. I believe it’s the British M777. That is the very first artillery system that Ukraine obtained from companions. It is rather dependable, straightforward to restore, and there are various of them.
We’ve got obtained complaints that the M777 had many hydraulic hoses that broke from small drone strikes and this stopped the gun from working. I needed to take it to be serviced after every assault. However we put in cellular stations with trimming and becoming machines, and 99% of the breakdowns began to be repaired on web site.
Howitzer M777 Picture from open sources
What’s extra very important now: self-propelled weapons like Archer or towed ones like M777?
Towed artillery exhibits itself finest as a result of it’s in a dug-in place. These days it’s safer to dig in, disguise your self, and wait to your goal.
And if you’re always driving, then instantly you grow to be noticeable – you will have a scorching engine, you kick up mud and make noise. Rolling out is probably the most harmful a part of a gunner’s work. And it’s far more troublesome to cover a self-propelled set up primarily based on a truck or tank on account of its dimensions. As well as, they’re costlier."
16 Russian Lancet drones struck a plywood mannequin
Frontline roles range in peril. How dangerous is a gunner’s job right this moment?
In case you comply with all the security recommendation and don’t break the foundations, a gunner’s survival odds hit 90%, oddly sufficient.
Take summer time – 40°C warmth tempts fighters to ditch bulletproof vests whereas loading shells. However throughout a drone strike, helmets and vests may save them from shrapnel."
They are saying artillerymen usually find yourself with severe again issues.
Sure, that's true, and it's partly due to how our artillery is being restructured. Lots of the guys who used to work on Western methods with assist cranes at the moment are being moved to Bohdanas, the place shells must be lifted by hand. To organize your physique for that sort of pressure, you'd ideally spend six months within the fitness center and use sports activities dietary supplements.
What's the most important risk to artillerymen and the way are our troopers coping with it?
There are many threats and it's not nearly Russian Lancet kamikaze drones. There's enemy artillery, guided bombs, even Iskander missiles hitting our positions. The Russians have the stockpiles and are keen to make use of them in opposition to our artillery items. Presumably out of worry.
As for defense, we're utilizing all the pieces from detection gadgets to fishing nets. I've obtained a video displaying a number of Russian drones caught in nets stretched over an artillery place.
Plywood decoys assist too. We just lately had a double success: a Russian drone got here in to destroy a decoy, however ended up tangled within the nets. In the meanwhile, we're producing plywood mock-ups of M777s for round 17,000 to 25,000 hryvnias [approximately US$407 to US$598] every. We've deployed over 100 up to now. From a distance, solely the barrel stands proud, so it's not possible to inform it's not the true factor.
After every drone strike on a decoy, a technician exhibits up with a screwdriver and a few duct tape to repair it up and never lengthy after, the Russians strike it once more.
Considered one of our decoys has even been nicknamed Tolik, after the benefactor who paid for it. Tolik's a little bit of a legend. To this point, we've discovered particles from 16 Lancet drones round it. We rely them by the wings scattered after the explosions.
Decoy Tolik
What does the Ukrainian artillery want most proper now – weapons, spare barrels or shells?
The highest scarcity is unquestionably shells. Artillery methods and spare elements come subsequent. As for spare barrels and their high quality, we're largely superb. Barrels are being made for us in Germany, France and the UK. Ukraine itself additionally produces a good line of high-quality barrels.
Is our outdated Soviet-era artillery nonetheless in use?
The Giatsint-B howitzer has been, and nonetheless is, extremely efficient. It's a system from the late Sixties and early Seventies, however one in every of its key benefits is the huge chamber for the propellant cost. It lets you take a considerable amount of shells and fireplace at distances past 30 kilometres. It's additionally pretty correct, so it performs a big position in counter-battery operations. We've nonetheless obtained the barrels and shells for it.
A Giatsint-B throughout Navy coaching Picture: open sources
The Pion methods are additionally very a lot in motion – I used to be shocked myself. They're nice for taking out fortified positions. Certain, they're not probably the most correct, however their 110-kilogram shells can demolish something that wants demolishing. It's no secret that 203mm shells for them are being equipped from the US. That stated, these methods are close to the tip of their service life. The shells are uncommon, and the platform itself is large and heavy. Producing barrels for them is an actual problem due to their measurement. However for now, the remaining service life continues to be holding up."
The Pion self-propelled gun performed a serious position within the Battle for Kyiv. Residents noticed these autos transferring by way of town and putting Russian columns on the outskirts.
A Pion self-propelled gun Picture: open sources
What about our Vilkha system?
It's operational and in use. The Russians posted very telling photographs of Vilkha rocket engine elements close to the city of Sudzha a couple of yr in the past. However when it comes to accuracy, it's nowhere close to the extent of a Ukrainian HIMARS, as some individuals wish to think about.
Volunteers at all times appear to know the place small investments can convey large outcomes. Leaving apart issues like shell manufacturing and different capital-heavy initiatives, what may individuals spend money on to spice up our artillery's effectiveness?
The very first thing is decoys. Each Lancet drone that hits a decoy is one which didn't strike an actual artillery place or kill our individuals.
The second factor is repairs. Artillery always wants fixing. There's not a single brigade the place 100% of the tools is totally operational.
For that, we provide one thing known as a cellular upkeep station. Mainly, it's a lorry with a transport container on the again. Contained in the container, there's a tyre-changing unit for any wheel measurement, tools for area repairs and all of the instruments you'd want – plasma cutters, welding tools or nitrogen tanks. These stations can serve a unit for years and maintain your entire fleet operating.
Workshop by charity organisation Reactive Publish
You possibly can additionally spend money on equipping cellular headquarters. These are the identical sort of containers, however tailored for officers. Laptops, projectors, wall-mounted screens, large-format printers for maps. Sure, many nonetheless use paper maps as a result of they're straightforward to hold.
The towed model of the Bohdana is seemingly far more well-liked than the lorry-mounted model
Will our Bohdana self-propelled howitzer grow to be the primary artillery system within the defence forces?
Based mostly on open-source knowledge about present month-to-month manufacturing and complete numbers up to now, it's not the primary system but. However with the present tempo of manufacturing, it's totally doable that inside two years it may grow to be the first artillery platform, particularly since each self-propelled and towed variations at the moment are being made.
What does the Bohdana do nicely in fight?
Regardless of the criticism from sceptics, it's really fairly correct, because of its high-quality, lengthy barrel, even in comparison with some Western methods. It's not as exact because the gold customary, the Panzerhaubitze 2000, however contemplating its value – round €2.5 million – it delivers glorious efficiency.
It additionally gives strong safety for a wheeled self-propelled gun. There's a superb probability the crew would survive even when an artillery shell landed close by.
A Bohdana self-propelled howitzer on a Tatra automobile
And the Bohdana is consistently being improved. It's necessary to do not forget that Ukraine by no means had its personal artillery manufacturing, even throughout Soviet instances. So naturally, any new system goes to face teething issues in the beginning. The important thing factor is that artillery crews have a dependable suggestions loop with the producer."
What issues nonetheless stay?
The automated loader and the ammunition rammer. In automated mode, the Bohdana is definitely slower than when operated manually, so artillery crews usually select to load it by hand. This can finally be optimised and improved.
And not using a rammer and an automated loader, it's bodily robust on the crew, as they’ve to hold all of the 47-kilogram shells by hand. Troopers find yourself with severe again accidents and tendon harm. We’ve got even began supplying weightlifting belts to the road of contact to assist with that.
What are you able to say concerning the towed model of the Bohdana and the way does it evaluate to the M777 we talked about earlier?
Personally, I really want the towed model of Bohdana to the self-propelled model. By way of comparability: the Bohdana has an eight-metre barrel, whereas the M777's is six metres. Meaning the Bohdana's barrel is extra correct and has an extended vary, but it surely's additionally tougher to hide and heavier. It is advisable to dig a deeper firing place and use a extra highly effective towing automobile to maneuver it."
The towed model of Bohdana-B
How good are the barrels made in Ukraine?
They final for as much as 8,000 rounds, relying on the kind of shell. Ours maintain as much as that simply superb. They may not be fairly as exact because the German ones, but it surely's greater than sufficient, contemplating how briskly we are able to produce them and the quantity we're delivering to the road of contact.
By some means, Russian tube artillery continues to be firing
We published a piece on Oboronka, a Mezha Media mission, concerning the state of Russian artillery. It seems the occupiers are closely counting on stockpiles from Soviet instances, usually cannibalising barrels from outdated methods. How would you assess the present state of their artillery?
By some means, their tube artillery continues to be functioning. However they've obtained severe points with barrels. Only recently, European companions lastly imposed sanctions on chromium, which is the important thing materials utilized in barrel manufacturing. Russia used to get a whole lot of it from Kazakhstan, however even they’ve now stopped supplying it.
One other issue is equipment. Ukraine manufactures barrels utilizing its personal tools, however Russia lacks this sort of home manufacturing. They're now scouring the worldwide market, making an attempt to get machines by way of all kinds of again channels. The machines they have already got are carrying out quick.
Technically, China may promote Russia barrels, since their calibres are appropriate, however that's a political subject. North Korea has began supplying some artillery, although up to now it's solely been 180mm Koksan self-propelled artillery, that are of extraordinarily poor high quality.
North Korean Koksan self-propelled artillery noticed in Russia
I wouldn't attempt to give a exact prediction for the way forward for Russian artillery as it might be pure guesswork. However I do consider they're operating out of usable barrels and shortly they'll begin to stagnate.
Barrel lifespan is a quite versatile idea. You’ll be able to fireplace 15,000 rounds from a howitzer in order for you, however by then the rifling contained in the barrel can be gone and accuracy can be non-existent.
However in the case of Russian rocket artillery – Grad, Smerch, Uragan – it’s nonetheless harmful. They use it very actively. In case you have a look at the Basic Workers's each day updates, you'll usually see 50 to 150 multiple-lanch rocket system strikes a day. Every of these includes at the very least a dozen rockets, masking broad areas and inflicting heavy casualties amongst our troops."
Would it not be truthful to say our tubed artillery fleet is in higher form than Russia's?
I consider so. Even simply trying on the common age of the methods: we're working largely with {hardware} from the 2000s, whereas theirs dates again to the Eighties.
Who's successful artillery duels nowadays?
I'd say we’re, as a result of our counter-battery operations depend on high-precision weapons, like American HIMARS. It's additionally about good intelligence, particularly satellite-based. On prime of that, we've obtained numerous different instruments, like numerous sorts of surveillance cameras, acoustic sensors and American counter-battery radars.
Usually it's sufficient to detect a muzzle flash, then you’ll be able to roughly find the enemy's firing place, collect extra intelligence and strike it with precision-guided weapons.
In distinction, the spine of Russian counter-battery efforts is the Lancet drone. However a Lancet hit doesn't essentially imply the artillery system is destroyed. Many howitzers are repaired and finally return to the battlefield.
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The volunteer initiative Reactive Publish has launched a fundraiser to provide extra decoy artillery fashions, instruments that assist save the lives of Ukrainian gunners. To make sure that extra decoys like Tolik are deployed and to maintain Russian Lancet drones hitting plywood as an alternative of actual positions, they want funding for supplies. You’ll be able to assist them by way of the hyperlink offered.
Writer: Bohdan Miroshnychenko
Translation: Theodore Holmes and Tetiana Buchkovska
Enhancing: Susan McDonald
The aftermath of the Russian assault Photograph: Serhii Lysak 
