As reported by German and some Ukrainian media Krauss-Maffei Wegmann company offered to sell 100 modern self-propelled 155-mm PzH 2000 howitzers to Ukraine.

The cost of the contract, which also includes staff training and a spare parts package, is 1.7 billion euros. But there is an important drawback. KMW will be able to deliver the first 30 SpGHs to Ukraine… only 30 months after signing the agreement, i.e. not earlier than 2024. Execution of the entire contract will be extended until 2027.

PzH 2000 howitzers are truly high-quality weapons, and there is no doubt that they can be useful to the Armed Forces in 2024… but for a country that is currently fighting for its existence, this proposal looks like outright mockery.

Germany has consistently blocked arms supplies to Ukraine, justifying itself on the grounds of “political expediency.” Recently, Germany refused to sell surplus BMP Marder to Ukraine. Currently, it’s slowing down the issue of transferring the Armed Forces of the decommissioned Leopard 1A5 tanks (about 100 units) and the Gepard anti-aircraft guns (about 50 units). At the same time, German companies are ready to sell military equipment to Ukraine. The supply of surpluses will not affect the defense capabilities of Germany itself, and it is possible to train the crews of the Armed Forces for these armored vehicle fairly quickly. All that is lacking is political will.

We will remind, besides the offer of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann recently there was information on acquisition by Ukraine of Slovak 155-mm SpGH ZUZANA.

SpGH PzH 2000 specifications
Mass – 55.3 t
Length – 11.7 m
Width – 3.6 m
Height – 3.1 m
Crew – 5 (commander, driver, gunner, and two loaders)
Main armament – L52 Rheinmetall 155 mm L52 Artillery Gun
Weapns capacity – 60 rounds
Rate of fire – 3 rounds in 9.0 seconds (Burst)
10 rounds per minute
Effective firing range:
Conventional shells – 30–36 km
Shells with a bottom gas generator – 40–47 km
RAP – 67 кkm
Secondary armament – 7.62 mm Rheinmetall MG3 machine gun
Engine – diesel MTU 881 Ka-500
Engine power – 986 hp
Operational range – 420 km
Speed (road) – 60 km/h