Just in late 2023, industry produced only six 2S22 Bohdana self-propelled guns monthly, now reaching ten units a month
Ukrainian defense industry continues to expand, as evidenced by the production of 2S22 Bohdana 155-mm self-propelled artillery systems at the facilities of the PJSC Kramatorsk Heavy Duty Machine Tool Building Plant, part of NAUDI — the National Association of Ukrainian Defense Industries.
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In April, the enterprise managed to produce 10 Bohdana howitzers, and the number will increase in the future, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced after a military briefing with authorities, industry officials, and commanders of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
Basically, the production has doubled since the beginning of December 2023, when Zelenskyi reported a monthly output of six Bohdana systems assembled each month. At the time, this pace was comparable to the ones showcased by French corporation Nexter with its Caesar wheeled self-propelled gun, a weapon of the same class and similar capabilities. Notably, the French industry is also trying to ramp up artillery system manufacture, aiming to reach 12 Caesars made monthly.
As of December 2023, as officially announced, Ukrainian Armed Forces had already 30 units of 2S22 Bogdana artillery in service, and none of them had been lost in combat, although a few were damaged. A total of 25 enterprises are involved in the production of this Ukrainian 155mm artillery piece, all companies have decentralized production, some critical components are produced abroad — a security measure essential to prevent industrial locations, personnel, and equipment safe from russian missile strikes.
There are two variants of chassis available for the artillery system. One of them is the 8x8 wheeled Tatra T815, and another one is KrAZ chassis. There is also a third kind that has not been seen implemented "in metal" yet. The cabin for all systems is additionally reinforced with protection made by Ukrainian Armor LLC.
Throughout its development and production, this Ukrainian artillery system has been repeatedly improved and is now made with an in-built mechanism-assisted loading system. According to unofficial information, the cost of each Bohdana is about 2.5 million dollars, which is about twice as cheap as the Caesar artillery system.
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