Soldiers from the 1st Special Purpose Brigade (a.k.a. Bohun Brigade) revealed how long it takes for a complete novice to learn the ropes of operating the 2S22 Bohdana self-propelled artillery systems and start using them on the frontline.
One of the artillerymen, call sign "Frenchman," said his team has been using this artillery system for three months now, and practice shows, the required education time depends on whether the serviceman is used to handling artillery in general. The video-interview was published by the Bohun Brigade on social media.
Read more: Specifications of Upgraded 2S22 Bohdana Howitzer on 8x8 Tatra Chassis, Ukraine's Own 155mm Artillery
"If a person had nothing to do with artillery, [then] a month at least. If the person knows, understands something, then two to three weeks," answers "Frenchman."
He used to serve in a mortar unit and on a 2S3 Akatsiya howitzer, now teaches newcomer crews to operate the 2S22 Bohdana, a relatively new artillery system, yet not widely spread in the Ukrainian military.
The reason is that the mass production of this weapon only began a short while ago. The 2S22 Bohdana was developed by the JSC Kramatorsk Heavy Duty Machine Tool Building Plant (part of NAUDI), it is Ukraine's first own-designed artillery system in the 155mm NATO-standard caliber.
In general, the "Frenchman" praises the newly fielded Bohdana: "Very good vehicle, the hits are precise. When aimed properly, it hits the target pretty well."
For a reminder, earlier LLC Ukrainian Armor specified that the 2S22 Bohdana is produced in several variants with different chassis in order to speed up the delivery of this howitzer to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"Frenchman" says, so far the version installed on the 8x8 Tatra chassis performs the best: in particular, he noted the cross-country ability and speed of this modification. As earlier revealed by NAUDI, the National Association of Ukrainian Defense Industries, the Tatra version has an operational range of 700 km, moving at 80 km/h (50 mph) on the road. It takes up to 90 seconds to deploy the artillery piece in a shooting-ready position.
On a sour note, the Ukrainian soldier mentions that Bohdana as it is now lacks an automatic reloading system. The issue has been brought up several times already: earlier a crew of 2S22 Bohdana operators stated that adding an auto-loader would make this artillery system "no worse than the French Caesar self-propelled howitzer."
Read more: Ukrainian Artillerymen Speak Favorably of Ukrainian 2S22 Bohdana SPG and Say Automatic Loader Would Bring the System to the Market Leaders
