File image.
On June 7, the Russian Ministry of Defense released footage showing a strike on M109 155 mm self-propelled howitzers of Kiev forces, which were recently supplied by Norway.
A salvo of what appears to be Grad 122 mm rockets hit a battery of three M109s in an unspecified part of Ukraine, destroying howitzer and damaging the other two. A tactical drone was apparently used to detect the battery and coordinate the rocket strike.
The US-made M109A3GN has a maximum firing range of 21 kilometers with regular rounds and up to 30 kilometers with rocket-assisted rounds. The howitzer can fire four rounds per minute.
The Ministry of Defense of Norway confirmed on June 8 that it had donated 22 M109A3GN howitzers as well as gear, spare parts and ammunition to Kiev. The ministry said that Ukrainian service members were trained on the howitzers in Germany.
According to recent reports, Kiev also bought some 26 former Belgian army M109A4BE howitzers from the Tournai-based OIP Land Systems.
Kiev forces received hundreds of howitzers from its Western allies after the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. Now, Kiev is preparing to receive heavy multiple rocket launch systems from the US, the UK and possibly Germany.
The West’s ongoing work to rebuild the fire power of Kiev forces is meant to prolong the war in Ukraine and deplete the Russian military.
