American 105mm Hawkeye SPH from AM General is being promoted to Poland's Territorial Defense. And this is after it underwent testing in Ukraine and was presented to the U.S. military.
As Defence24 writes, such a proposal at the International Artillery Conference in Toruń was voiced by MMC Consulting company. Great emphasis is placed on high mobility, which potentially should ensure better survivability.
Read more: India Ditches $1.9B NASAMS Deal As Too Expensive, Chooses russian S-400 Instead
Defense Express notes that it could be a good choice in the 105mm artillery niche. So, Hawkeye indeed stands out as a modern and extremely light system with range up to 11.5-19.5 km, depending on ammunition. It also received improvements according to Ukrainian feedback.
However, the question arises whether there would be more sense in having a towed howitzer, which is easier to camouflage on the modern battlefield dominated by drones. Also, it will most likely be both cheaper and simpler in storage, maintenance, and use.
These factors may prove important especially when it comes to territorial defense units. This both reduces requirements for training personnel who are only partially engaged, and better fits the role of operational forces support means and counter-diversion or counter-airborne operations.
Of course, it can be noted here that SPH, especially one as mobile as Hawkeye, will allow faster response to threats. That is, it will be possible to move and deploy fire means in a short time for timely task execution.
Which of these will be more important for the Poles themselves to decide, who must assess their needs and choose the best option. It's worth remembering that various factors will influence the choice, including price, potential localization, and weapon origin.
Although Hawkeye underwent testing in Ukraine, which is actively used in advertising, this story is interesting to us primarily for potentially receiving old 152mm DANA wz. 1977 SPHs, which Poland previously wanted to transfer to territorial defense but abandoned such plans. However, as in the story with MiG-29 fighters, most likely it will be necessary to pay for this with something, for example technologies.
Read more: Ukrainian Forces Destroy Pipeline Used by russian Troops to Enter Kupiansk (Video)
