Ukrainian military personnel have raised concerns about the shortage of spare parts for German weapons systems already delivered. According to Bild, a large portion of howitzers supplied by Germany, the Netherlands and Italy are currently out of service due to wear and tear.
Two Ukrainian artillery commanders, who have been using these howitzers in combat for nearly two years, described the spare parts situation as “catastrophic”. This includes German Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzers.
Read more: Twelve PzH 2000 Germany Promised to Ukraine in 2024 Delayed
“It’s a great system, but the wear and tear is severe. We reported the need to replace the gun barrels after some time... but replacements are slow, partly due to shortages,” one artilleryman said.
Bild reports that Germany is only supplying a limited number of barrels, focusing on urgent needs to restore some of Ukraine’s self-propelled howitzers. However, Ukrainian artillerymen stress that barrels aren’t the only issue – other components also require replacement, but bureaucratic delays have slowed procurement, with only certain parts authorized for use.
Marcus Faber, head of the Bundestag Defense Committee, expressed frustration over the situation. “It’s absurd that more systems are out of action due to a lack of spare parts than from enemy fire,” he said.
Marcus Faber welcomed the planned delivery of more howitzers to Ukraine this year but emphasized that timely delivery of spare parts could have allowed Ukraine to field more systems in its defense.
On September 4, reports indicated that Germany plans to transfer an additional 12 PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine.
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