In 2027, the Defense Forces of Ukraine will receive 155-mm Marta self-propelled howitzers, funded by Germany. These are Bohdana variants equipped with a 39-caliber barrel mounted on a Mercedes-Benz Zetros chassis.
A representative of the Kramatorsk Heavy Machine-Tool Plant (KZVV) reported this in an interview with Oboronka. According to him, the project is currently underway, but signing the agreement required overcoming lobbying efforts from German industry, which sought to secure the order for itself, as well as other obstacles in Ukraine and abroad.
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The companies also explained why the Marta self-propelled howitzers are needed. The Defense Forces of Ukraine plan to use them to replace all Western short-barreled artillery, which is rarely maintained in the West and is very expensive to maintain.
In addition, the new KZVV system is intended to replace the less accurate and shorter-range Soviet 122-mm and 152-mm systems.
"According to the Ukrainian Armed Forces' plans, artillery is organized at the brigade, battalion, corps, and other levels. These howitzers must be integrated into one of these levels," the company's representative added.
Reports emerged in early September 2025 that Ukraine was working on a version of the Bohdana with a 39-caliber barrel, potentially to be mounted on a German chassis. At the time, we reported that this artillery system could replace the American 155-mm M109 and the Soviet 152-mm 2S3 Akatsiya—a possibility that has now been confirmed.
Among the other 152-mm systems that could potentially be replaced by the Marta is the old Czechoslovak ShKH vz. 77 DANA. There were also reports of 2S19 Msta-S howitzers being in service as early as 2025. However, it is difficult to determine how many remain in service with the Defense Forces of Ukraine, given potential issues with spare parts.
Since KZVV is now also mentioning 122-mm artillery, it is likely that the Marta will replace the 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer, which continues to be used by the Ukrainian military and has a range of up to 15.2 km with conventional shells.
The systems from the Bohdana family already account for 70% of Ukraine's artillery. In addition, KZVV, their manufacturer, produces barrels for foreign artillery systems, including the Krab, AS-90, M777, and Archer.
As for the planned delivery of the Marta in 2027, Germany funded the order in December 2025, while in June 2026 it was reported that the system had entered testing in March. This suggests a fairly reasonable timeline, given the need to conduct the necessary tests for the new variant.
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