The production of the 2S22 Bohdana self-propelled artillery system, manufactured by Kramatorsk Heavy Duty Machine Tool Building Plant (part of NAUDI), peaks at up to 20 units per month, with a standard rate of 15 units per month.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on these production volumes of Ukrainian weapons during the opening of the Second International Defense Industries Forum. These figures can be compared to the current production levels in Europe, including all countries. A rate of 180-240 self-propelled artillery systems per year is a significant achievement.
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The largest producer of self-propelled artillery in Europe is currently the French company Nexter, which is part of KNDS and manufactures Caesar self-propelled howitzer. Its production capacity in April this year was 6 units per month, but the scaling plan aims to double this number to 12 units per month without announcing a specific timeline.
Apart from Nexter, only the Czech Republic and Slovakia produce wheeled self-propelled artillery in the EU. The Czech Republic manufactures the Dana 2 and Dita systems from Excalibur Army, while Slovakia produces the Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers from Konštrukta-Defense. Additionally, the German company KNDS is expected to produce the RCH-155, which currently manufactures the tracked PzH-2000 howitzers.
The production capabilities of these self-propelled artillery systems have not been disclosed. However, illustrative supply figures for some of them can be provided. For example, the PzH-2000 self-propelled howitzers, under a contract for the Bundeswehr for 10 units signed in March 2023, will be manufactured by 2026.
The Zuzana 2 howitzers were ordered for Ukraine in a total quantity of 24 units. This order included 8 units from Ukraine in June 2022 and 16 units from Denmark, Norway, and Germany for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in October 2022. Under the second contract, the transfer of the first two self-propelled artillery units took place only in July 2023, and as of May 2024, the contract was still in progress. At the same time, the contract from 2018 with the Slovak army for 25 units is still being fulfilled.
The existing overall production capabilities of Excalibur Army for self-propelled artillery are characterized by the supply of Dana-M2 artillery systems, which Ukraine ordered in a quantity of 26 systems before the full-scale war began. As of January 2024, Prague included all ordered Dana-M2 self-propelled guns in the list of weapons received by Ukraine, although their delivery could have been completed earlier.
Regarding Dita self-propelled guns, the current order portfolio consists of 70 units for Azerbaijan and 9 units ordered by the Netherlands in February 2024 for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, the delivery timelines have not been announced.
Considering the lack of data, it is impossible to say with 100% certainty that Ukraine has surpassed all EU countries in the production of self-propelled artillery. However, it seems very likely that this is the case.
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