In the fight against Russia, the Ukraine is benefiting from the 14 Panzerhaubitzen 2000 that Germany has delivered to it so far.
Their locations remain a secret.
KIEV – The Ukrainian military leadership is keeping the exact deployment locations of long-range artillery systems like the Panzerhaubitze 2000 a secret – and with good reason.
The fast and accurate artillery system represents an enormous advantage for the Ukrainian armed forces over Russia. According to the weapon category, the vehicles, each weighing 57 tons, are not battle tanks but self-propelled artillery pieces.
Your crew of five is protected by the vehicle's armor.
The Panzerhaubitze 2000 makes a big difference in the Ukraine war, a gunner from the Ukrainian armed forces told the
editorial network Germany (RND)
.
Because they can hit Russian positions far behind the front, even if they are many kilometers away.
The range of their grenades is 30 to 40 kilometers.
The howitzers could therefore approach their firing positions unnoticed and still act effectively against the Russian armed forces.
Ukraine benefits from Panzerhaubitze 2000: "The Russians are afraid of her"
The soldiers, who were trained on the Panzerhaubitzen 2000 in Germany over a period of four weeks, praised
the speed and mobility of the weapon system to the
RND .
Once in the firing position, it only takes a minute and a half before you can open fire.
The Soviet-made howitzers, on the other hand, would need five minutes for this.
The advantage is clear: After the enemy positions have been shelled, you can leave the firing position within 40 to 45 seconds, "so as not to become a target yourself." return fire.
"The Russians are very afraid of her,"
RND
quoted a howitzer gunner as saying.
A total of 14 of these modern 2000 self-propelled howitzers have been delivered from Germany to the Ukraine so far.
They are said to have been used in the recapture of Kharkiv, for example.
And according to the German Press Agency (dpa),
the wear and tear on the weapons
shows that they were used intensively.
Panzerhaubitze 2000: Due to intensive fighting in the Ukraine, spare parts are missing
And this intensive use could become a problem for Ukraine.
Because although the gun is very effective, it is sometimes overwhelmed by the high frequency of combat, according to the Ukrainian soldiers at the
RND
.
It happens that the electronics that automatically align the target tube overheat.
In this case, the crew would have to do the calculations and control the gun manually.
According to a gunner, it is not unusual for one of the self-propelled howitzers to fire 180 shells within 24 hours.
Due to the extreme firing frequency, the wear and tear is also high.
"We need more shells," reports the gunner.
"And we don't have enough spare parts." The logistics involved in procuring spare parts are undoubtedly a major challenge for the Ukrainian army.
Due to international military support, maintenance of a wide variety of weapon systems is necessary.
Ukraine: Thanks for arms deliveries - at the same time, time is of the essence
In addition to President Volodymyr Zelensky, who also regularly thanks western countries for their arms exports and military aid, the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, recently called for more speed in further arms deliveries from Germany.
He also praised Germany's extensive military support for Ukraine in the war against Russia.
"I don't want to complain and I want to thank the Germans again," said the ex-boxing world champion to the
RND
in Kiev.
“Germany is one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine in terms of financial aid and arms supplies.
But it's true, the German government makes its decisions far too slowly, and we're paying the highest price for it: the lives of our soldiers and the lives of our citizens. "(na / dpa / afp)
