The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has financed the serial production of the 2S22 Bohdana self-propelled howitzer. According to Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, the tanks (Challenger 2 and Leopard 2) provided by our Western partners will be supported by Ukrainian artillery at the front.
The Minister of Defense announced this on his official Facebook page and showed one such installation in a photo. He said that over the past year, the ministry has been constantly purchasing equipment and weapons from domestic manufacturers and contributing, as much as possible, to the deployment of production facilities in new locations and increasing their capacity.
A significant amount of resources was used to import the necessary defense supplies, so “the Ministry of Defense has prepared a transition so that in 2023 the maximum amount of funds will be directed to Ukrainian producers. This applies to all components – from uniforms, footwear, body armor and UAVs to heavy weapons and ammunition,” emphasized Oleksiy Reznikov.
In this way, he presented the Bohdana howitzer, which became the first Ukrainian self-propelled artillery system designed for the NATO-standard 155 mm caliber. The first sample of this system was manufactured at the end of 2019 and successfully passed the sea trials and fired the first test shots. However, at that time, the country did not have domestic shells of the required caliber, so factory tests were not completed.
After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, the developers of the self-propelled artillery system were ordered to destroy it so that the latest howitzer would not be taken by the enemy. However, the system was first saved and then used for its intended purpose – it played an important role in the liberation of Zmiinyi Island from the Russian occupiers.
“I have already voiced my approach. Ukraine should be as independent as possible in all components of defense wherever possible. This makes our country a desirable partner and strengthens our position. That is why the Ministry of Defense will step up its efforts to stimulate Ukrainian producers,” Reznikov assured. At the same time, he hinted at progress in the development of domestic drones and promised to present the results of work in this area soon.
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