All about the M109L self-propelled howitzers sent from Italy to Ukraine
Italy is transferring some M109 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine. The cannons, set aside since the end of the Cold War and sent since last October, are in fact part of a military aid package "deliberated by the previous government". Facts and insights
Rome upgrades Kiev artillery.
In recent days, videos of a train loaded with 20 M-109L 155 mm self-propelled howitzers have been circulating on the net as it passes through the Udine railway station headed east.
As the Minister of Relations with Parliament Luca Ciriani specified over the weekend, they would be "self-propelled artillery on tracks" directed to Ukraine and would be part of a military aid package "deliberated by the previous government and which are being delivered this week" .
According to Repubblica , “among those already present at the front and those taken back in Udine there are at least thirty tracked howitzers, while some sources speak of an even double number: a total of sixty vehicles. The decision to transfer these systems therefore dates back to the previous executive led by Draghi ”.
The vehicles, designed in the United States in the early 1960s, were updated and produced by the Italian company Oto Melara (Leonardo's land armament subsidiary) between the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s. Today the Italian Army has the PzH-2000 self-propelled artillery armed with a 155/52 mm piece.
All the details.
WHAT IS THE M109L SELF-PROPELLED HOWITCH
The M109L is the updated Italian version of the American M109 self-propelled artillery howitzer, which in the past equipped Italian units. They were replaced in the 2000s by the more modern German-made PzH 2000, with a range of 40 kilometers considered the best in the world.
Italy had about 300 M109Ls online, 221 of which underwent an update program in the early 1990s (from the initial "G" version we had moved on to the "L", characterized by a longer range, from 24 to 30 kilometers thanks to self-propelled projectiles). For about twenty years the self-propelled vehicles have been in reserve, almost all right in the Lenta depot, in the province of Vercelli.
Our country has sold almost 70 examples of the M109L to Pakistan and a dozen to Djibouti, in exchange for the concession of a base.
UPDATED BY LEONARDO FOR THE FOREIGN MARKET
Furthermore, in 2019 Leonardo proposed a radically updated version of the M-109L self-propelled artillery for the foreign market at limited costs compared to the purchase of latest generation systems.
The 155/23 caliber howitzer is with the Italian-made 155/39 equivalent to that of the FH-70 towed howitzer , has a new fume extractor and can use standard and intelligent ammunition (such as the Leonardo Vulcano) capable of hitting targets up to 30 and 40 kilometers. For the Italian company, the potential customers of the upgrade kit are the armies of at least two dozen countries that still use the M-109L.
THE QUANTITY OF M109LS DESTINED TO UKRAINE
Therefore, Italy plans to transfer a total of 60 M109 self-propelled artillery howitzers to Ukraine in the near future. Some of which are already at the forefront.
But the weapons sent or to be sent to Ukraine remain classified information and it is not possible to have official confirmations.
THE REVISION WITH AMERICAN FUNDS
According to Repubblica, “the Italian self-propelled vehicles needed a complete overhaul, which would have been financed with funds made available by the United States. The works took several months: it is not clear whether they were carried out by Oto Melara or by a Friulian company specialized in this activity, which would explain the presence of the convoy in Udine."
APPRECIATED BY UKRAINIAN MILITARY
“Even though they date back more than thirty years, the M109Ls are highly appreciated by the Ukrainians: they are simple and robust, with easy-to-manage maintenance and good shooting accuracy” claims the newspaper.
Finally, in addition to the M109s, the Ukrainian army has also received from Italy as artillery about twenty Italian Fh70 cannons, on the front line in Ukraine and five Pzh2000s.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/tutto-sui-semoventi-m109l-gli-obici-inviati-dallitalia-allucraina/ on Mon, 17 Apr 2023 08:22:28 +0000.