Germany will finance the production of 200 Ukrainian 155mm Bohdana self-propelled howitzers worth €750 million. German Zetros trucks will serve as the base chassis for the howitzers.
According to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, this is part of a series of new agreements between the countries totaling €1.2 billion. Germany will allocate €11.5 billion to support Ukraine in 2026.
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The signing of the contract marks the largest order for Ukrainian artillery, produced by the Kramatorsk Heavy Duty Machine Tool Building Plant, a member of NAUDI. With a declared monthly output of 30–40 units, the order would keep the production facilities occupied for five to seven months, with additional contracts likely to follow.
The selection of the Zetros chassis is unsurprising, given that the vehicle is produced by German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz. This approach allows German industry to be involved, further justifying the allocation of funds for the project.
It should be noted that Ukraine already uses more than 340 Zetros trucks, with an additional order for another 1,000. This facilitates standardization across divisions, which significantly eases both operation and maintenance.
The agreement is advantageous for both parties, helping to expand fleets and replace losses. It would be beneficial if, in the future, financing were extended not only to self-propelled variants but also to towed ones.
According to preliminary estimates, each Bohdana mounted on a Zetros chassis is expected to cost around €3.75 million ($4.4 million). In 2024, the cost was $2.8 million, but subsequent improvements, beyond the truck itself, may have increased the price.
It should be noted that the artillery unit of the Ukrainian self-propelled howitzer is patented both on the chassis and as a separate module, allowing it to be installed on various platforms at the customer's request. Therefore, it is quite possible that we will see other variants in the future.
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