The Ukrainian Defense Forces have acquired British AS-90 artillery units. The Armed Forces have showcased self-propelled howitzers on video for the first time.
Here’s What We Know At the start of the year, the United Kingdom declared its intention to provide Ukraine with 24 AS-90 self-propelled artillery units. The UK subsequently increased the number of guns by over a third, totaling 33 units. The UK will not be left without replacements.
The UK Ministry of Defense will purchase 14 Archer self-propelled howitzers as a substitute for the AS-90s transferred to Ukraine. The contract amount has not yet been specified. The AS-90 is a British artillery system mounted on a tracked chassis. It was developed by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering, a division of BAE Systems.
The company has manufactured approximately 200 howitzers, excluding prototypes. The primary weapon of the combat vehicle is the 155mm L31 cannon, with a maximum firing range of 30 km. In addition to the L31 gun, the howitzer is equipped with one L7 machine gun of 7.62 mm caliber.
The AS-90 is powered by a Cummins VTA903T eight-cylinder diesel engine generating 660 horsepower. The combat vehicle can achieve a top speed of 55 km/h on highways and has a range of 370 km.