European artillery options

Artillery is once again in the forefront of air-land warfare due to the War in Ukraine. European nations are updating their artillery, introducing L52 guns, and utilising tracked or wheeled vehicle platforms.

Western European countries, the majority of which belong to NATO, have neglected their ‘classic’ artillery until recently. In 2019, the British Army fielded only two artillery regiments, each equipped with 24 155 mm L39 AS90 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) out of the 89 in the fleet, as well as two batteries of six 105 mm L118 light towed guns assigned to the 16th Air Assault Brigade. Another area of ​​concern is the reduction in the capability gap between Western countries and Russia. Challenges are, therefore, also technical when one considers that the US Army cancelled the Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) programme under which the M1299 SPH was to propel conventional shells to 70 km or beyond with a new 155 mm L58 gun.

European products

European countries are at the forefront of developing and producing state-of-the-art artillery systems. The Franco-German company KNDS has spearheaded this approach with the CAESAR, a unique system that has filled the company’s order book for years. This system, available on a 6×6 or 8×8 platform, can fire all NATO standard 155 mm calibre ammunition, including the BONUS anti-tank and Excalibur guided rounds. France ordered 109 CAESAR Mk IIs on 30 December 2023 for EUR 350 million, with delivery expected by 2026. These guns will replace the legacy AMX-30 AuF1 as a priority and the 76 CAESAR Mk I, including 18 brand-new units currently being supplied.

The CAESAR Mk II will feature a new cabin with improved armour and, for the first time, four doors. It will also be equipped with a new Arquus-developed chassis, a 343 kW (460 hp) engine, and a new automatic transmission, further enhancing its performance. This Mk II standard will feature an updated version of the muzzle velocity radar designed by Danish company Weibel and Safran’s Geonyx inertial navigation system, allowing for navigation and aiming to coordinates in the absence of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal. Belgium has ordered 27 CAESAR Mk IIs, due to be delivered in 2027, to equip two battalions. Lithuania signed for 18 Mk II guns in December 2023 and will even participate in developing this gun. The Czech Republic ordered 62 units on a Tatra 8×8 chassis, with the first two prototypes to be received in 2024. This model can carry 36 rounds of ammunition. The deal, estimated at EUR 335 million, is expected to involve up to 40% of local industry, specifically Tatra. In January 2024, France and the United States led an artillery coalition to further structure the allied nations’ aid provided to Ukraine. This plan aims to improve the country’s artillery capabilities and offer new equipment. The coalition will produce 78 CAESARs for Ukraine, with Ukraine to finance six units, and the remainder coming from partner nations.

The Panzerhaubitze 2000, or PzH 2000, is an SPH manufactured by KNDS Germany, with the gun manufactured by Rheinmetall. At a combat weight of 57 tonnes, it is around twice as heavy as the American M109, and was designed using proven technologies from the Leopard 1 and 2 tank families. It has a sophisticated fire control system (FCS) with a ballistic computer based on an INS and GNSS. The automatic loading mechanism allows a 4-rpm firing rate. The IVECO-OTO Melara (CIO) consortium also license-produces the PzH 2000 for the Italian Army. It currently serves the Croatian, Dutch, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian armies. Hungary, one of the latest customers, ordered 24 SPHs in 2018, while Ukraine received 12 SPHs from Germany and the Netherlands in June 2022. Later, in July 2022, Berlin approved the sale of 100 units to Ukraine for EUR 1.7 billion, however the deal was not finalised. In terms of potential new users, Romania is looking to purchase a new tracked SPH, with the PzH 2000 being considered alongside the Korean K9 Thunder and the Turkish T-155 Fırtına. Romania plans to initially procure 18 howitzers, nine spare barrels, 12 specialised ammunition transport and loading vehicles, and other support vehicles. The country has a total requirement for 54 new SPHs.

An additional offer from KNDS Germany is the RCH 155, a wheeled SPH based on the Boxer 8×8 platform, armed with the same Rheinmetall 155 mm L52 gun as on the PzH 2000. The RCH 155, has been in production since 2022, with Ukraine becoming the first customer. On 17 September 2022, media outlets said that the German government would offer 18 Boxer RCH-155 systems to Ukraine for EUR 216 million. Information from November 2023 stated that delivery would not be possible until the end of 2024. Germany increased the amount of planned support for Ukraine during the Munich Conference in February 2024 by 18 RCH 155 units.

Rheinmetall is also pushing the boundaries of artillery range with the development of the L60 gun (9.3 m). This weapon, with its significantly larger chamber and longer L60 barrel, should reach targets up to 83 km with JBMoU-compliant ammunition.

The United Kingdom is seeking to replace its AS90s, 30 of which have been transferred to Ukraine. While the UK ended up opting for RCH 155 as the replacement on 24 April 2024, however, as a stopgap measure, the British Army has ordered 14 Archer SPHs from BAE Systems. The Archer comprises a Bofors FH77BW 155 mm L52 gun fitted to a truck platform. It can be installed on various truck platforms and has been offered on a modified Volvo A30D 6×6, RMMV HX2 8×8 or the Oshkosh HEMTT 8×8, and Oshkosh PLS 10×10. It is operated by a crew of four from inside the protected cab, without requiring the crew to dismount, and according to the manufacturer, it can fire six rounds, displace and move 500 m in less than two minutes. The equipment can fire conventional high explosive (HE) projectiles to 30 km, the BONUS anti-armour munition up to 35 km, high explosive extended range (HEER) rounds up to 40 km, and the precision-guided munition Excalibur to over 50 km. The Swiss government has shortlisted the Archer as one of its future artillery systems. This SPH has been in service with the Swedish armed forces since 2013 and is also in use with Ukraine.

Polish company Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW) developed the AHS Krab tracked SPH. It is equipped with a 155 mm L52 gun with a semi-automatic loading system and integrates the WB Group ‘Topaz’ artillery FCS. The Krab, based on a South Korean K9 Thunder hull mated with a British AS90 Braveheart turret, can fire NATO (Joint Ballistics Memorandum of Understanding) JBMoU-compliant ammunition. Since 2017, these guns have been gradually entering service with the divisional artillery units of the Polish Land Forces. Poland has supplied Ukraine with 72 Krabs, and subsequently, ordered 54 systems to restore its own capacity.

Slovakia’s artillery design heritage is still alive, with Konstrukta Defence offering the Zuzana 2 and EVA models. The former is based on an 8×8 wheeled platform, and similar to the earlier DANA, while the latter is based on a Tatra 815 6×6 truck. Both are armed with a 155 mm L52 gun, which has a maximum firing range of 41 km with ERFB-BB ammunition. Czech defence company Excalibur Army proposed the DITA based on a similar wheeled platform concept to the Zuzana 2, albeit featuring a 155 mm L45 gun with a maximum firing range of 39 km using a high-explosive base bleed (HE-BB) shell.

Turkey has developed the T-155 Fırtına, a long-range howitzer derived from Hanwha Systems’ K9 Thunder, and currently in use by the Turkish Army. The vehicle is compatible with the ADOP-2000 fire support automation system developed by Aselsan is fitted in the current version, which provides secure and encrypted communication and protection against electronic attacks. The FCS includes a ballistic computer, an automatic gun laying system, a velocity-measuring radar, along with an INS. The 155 mm L52 barrel and has a range of around 30 km with standard HE rounds, or 40 km Extended Range Full-Bore—Base Bleed (ERFB-BB) rounds. The multiple rounds simultaneous impact (MRSI) system allows for the simultaneous impact of several projectiles on the target. The Turkish Army currently has 280 T-155 Fırtına in service, and an updated version, T-155 Fırtına 2, is in production. On the latter, the electronic systems have been updated, and improvements have been made to the FCS, along with The safety and comfort of the crew have also been improved, and an Aselsan SARP remote weapon station (RWS) has been added.

Serbia is a producer of ammunition and artillery systems of 122 mm, 152 mm, and 155 mm calibres. The country has developed an extensive range of artillery system products. Yugoimport’s Nora family comprises three variants in the 155 mm category, with the latest family variant being the NORA B52 NG. The system is offered on various 8×8 truck platforms, and features a 155 mm L52 gun coupled to an automated FCS and an autoloader carrying 30 ready projectiles with their propellant charges, and a further six projectiles on the vehicle. The system has a rate of fire of up to 4 rds/min, and is capable of performing a three-round MRSI engagement.

Artillery from abroad

The M109A7 is the latest howitzer in the M109 family of vehicles, the primary indirect fire support system for the US Army’s Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCTs). The M109A7 is armed with a 155 mm L39 gun, and uses the existing main armament and hull structure of a Paladin M109A6, but also uses drivetrain and chassis components from the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) for parts commonality. BAE Systems has been awarded a contract valued up to EUR 294 million from the US Army to perform technical and sustainment support services for its fleet of M109A6/A7 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and their companion M992A3 carrier, ammunition, tracked (CAT) vehicles, the company announced on 27 March 2024.

The K9 Thunder 155 mm is a self-propelled artillery system designed and manufactured by Hanwha Systems. It is the among the most popular of the newer SPHs, having achieved significant export success, with over 1,800 units currently in service across nine countries. The K9 Thunder has a combat weight of over 47 tonnes and is provided with a powerful 748 kW (1,000 hp) engine and hydro-pneumatic suspension system. The first two family variants, the K9 and K9A1 require a crew of five – a commander, a driver, a gunner, and two loaders. On the K9A2, this crewing requirement is reduced to three (via removal of the two loaders) due to the introduction of an automatic ammunition and charge handling system. All three variants are fitted with a 155 mm L52 gun, allowing fire to around 30 km with standard HE rounds, or up to 50 km when using rocket-assisted projectile (RAP) rounds. It also has a three-round MRSI capability, with all three projectiles fired within 15 seconds. Hanwha is working on developing the family further with a K9A3 variant planned to have an L58 gun due in the 2030s, and a K9 next-generation variant with very high levels of automation due in the 2040s.

Various European countries have already acquired the K9 Thunder. Estonia ordered 24 units in 2018, followed by 12 more in 2023, to be delivered by 2026. Finland has placed orders for a total of 58 K9 Thunder howitzers in several batches, while the Norwegian Army has 24 units, ordered in 2017 for USD 230 million. Poland plans to have 212 K9 howitzers by 2026 for an investment of EUR 2.4 billion. The first batch of 24 K9s was handed over in October 2022.

Denmark, which donated its entire CAESAR inventory to Ukraine, is trying to replenish its artillery. In expectation of shorter delivery times than other options, Copenhagen chose the ATMOS 2000 8×8 system produced by the Israeli company Elbit Systems. However, since the contract signing, it appears that their delivery will be delayed, with an in-service date of 2026 reported. The ATMOS 2000 is armed with a 155 mm L52 gun and carries a total of 27 full rounds with a maximum range of around 40 km when firing ERFB-BB projectiles.

Artillery ammunition situation

Manufacturers and state services in Europe are collaborating to restore long-term production capabilities. On 15 March 2024, the European Commission granted EUR 500 million under the European Union Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP), intended to support ammunition production. This funding will enable the European defence industry to increase its ammunition production capacity to two million shells annually by the end of 2025. Polish munitions maker Dezamet, part of state arms producer Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ), plans to significantly increase its capacity to supply EU-funded munitions to Ukraine. The Spanish government has recently awarded a contract to Rheinmetall, among the world’s largest producers of artillery ammunition, to provide 94,200 155 mm rounds. In the field of propellants, France is re-establishing its national production. Eurenco also plans to double its modular load production capacities by 2026. The company had previously stopped producing propellants in France in 2007, instead opting to import them it from its Swedish factory in Karlskoga. Propellant production is now re-established at the Bergerac site, where a new facility will produce 1,200 tonnes of propellant per annum, to fill 500,000 modular propelling charges. Eurenco aims to install a third production unit in 2026 to achieve a target of 1.2 million propelling charges produced annually.

The European defence industry is known for its innovative munitions, which include insensitive munitions (IM), to reduce the risks of accidental detonation. Artillery systems designed in Europe use diverse types of ammunition, including explosive, warning, smoke, illuminating, infrared, and sensor-fuzed munitions such as the BONUS – Bofors NUtating Shell and the SMArt 155. The Bundeswehr uses the latter projectile under the DM702 designation. Rheinmetall manufactures the Assegai family of extended range 155 mm artillery ammunition. KDNS France has developed the guided KATANA GNSS/INS guided round, intended to have a circular error probable (CEP) of under 10 m. Nexter Arrowtech, a subsidiary of KNDS, has developed a broad family of projectiles, including the LU220 HE, extended-range round, an evolution of the LU 211 HE used by the French Army in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Mali for about 15 years. Nexter Arrowtech is also working on an LU 320 shell, which is intended to reach a muzzle velocity of over 1,000 m/s and a range of 50 km, along with trajectory correction. Also available to European countries is the SPACIDO course-correcting fuze. Intended to operate in tandem with a Doppler radar placed on the artillery tube, which accurately measures the speed and trajectory of the shell in its first seconds of flight. The fire control computer then transmits information to the fuze, which corrects the munition’s trajectory using a deployable airbrake.

Closing thoughts

In Europe, there appears to be a consensus around the importance of keeping artillery fairly mobile, with towed artillery in particular having seen many losses during the War in Ukraine. At the beginning of April 2024, the loss tracking website Lostarmour recorded around 90 destroyed and 50 damaged M777 howitzers, most of which were destroyed using loitering munitions such as the ZALA Lancet. Additionally, the modernisation of artillery cannot entirely replace new effectors that will have to be integrated into existing structures. Here, there is some progress. Under current plans, French artillery regiments will soon have two batteries of CAESARs, one battery with 120 mm mortars but also a battery equipped with loitering munitions.

Jean Auran