The fact that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will abandon Soviet 122mm and 152mm artillery is only a matter of time. But now the process is only at its initial stage. The reason is the quantity: there are more than 1,200 Soviet artillery systems to be replaced, about 750 units of 152mm and about 450 units of 122mm that were in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of 2021.
To bring the same number of Western artillery systems to the same level will be more than complex. Because, to understand the scale, overall in Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy taken together there are up to 600 units of 155mm and up to 150 units of 105mm artillery systems (according to Military Balance).
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At the same time, the Polish defense portal Defense24 described the replacement path and the related difficulties in detail, the main elements and conclusions of which are below.
The first task will be to change the 122mm artillery systems, such as D-30 and 2S1 Akatsiya due to the fact that shells for them in Europe are completed faster than others. The direct replacement for them can be 105mm artillery systems, where the M119 howitzer has much better mobility than the D-30.
In addition, there is a rather interesting promising mobile version of 105-mm artillery: Hawkeye Mobile Weapon System (105MWS), which involves the installation of a 105mm M20 howitzer on the HMMWV chassis. And although the system began to be tested in 2021, it is quite interesting combination of a light and unpretentious chassis with firepower.
It is also quite possible to replace the 2C1 Akatsiya with any other 155mm artillery, especially to increase mobility – wheeled self-propelled guns. However, Defense Express notes that it may be more expedient to concentrate the 105mm artillery in amphibious assault brigades and marines, while the ground forces should focus on using the 155mm with a barrel length of 39 and 52 calibers.
But the real complications begin with the 1:1 replacement of the 152mm with the 155mm. Because, as already mentioned, the number of such systems in the armies of the world is generally not large enough.
Therefore, there are no other options than to collect a "zoo" from all possible 155mm artillery systems provided by the allies and also ordered by Ukraine, including the Polish Krab, the German RCH 155 and the Slovak Zuzana 2. Even after the victory the world shortage of weapons will not make it possible to switch to a single model.
But there are two more possibilities in Ukraine: this is the production of its own Bogdana 155mm SPG, also trophy Msta-S 155mm SPG’s. Interestingly, in the russian federation there is an export version specifically for 155mm with a barrel length of 52 calibers.
At the same time, some systems, in particular the Pion 203mm SPG’s, sooner or later must be eventually abandoned. The issue of ammunition for them, as well as supporting the life cycle of their relatively small number, will most likely become a decisive factor.
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