The AFU showed the training of the "Bohdana" self-propelled artillery crews

The latest Ukrainian self-propelled artillery unit "Bohdana" was created according to NATO standards. Therefore, Ukrainian defenders need special training with this SPG before using it on the battlefield.

As noted in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, more and more of our artillerymen are mastering the capabilities of the "Bohdana" SPG. The Operational Command "West" showed how exactly Ukrainian soldiers train.

Our fighters are satisfied with the capabilities of the latest Ukrainian weapon. This cannon "has everything – accuracy, mobility, ease of maintenance," quote the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s artillerymen.

SPG "Bohdana"

2S22 "Bohdana" became the first Ukrainian SPG developed for the standard NATO caliber of 155 mm. The SPG was officially adopted into the armament of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2023, a year after it underwent combat baptism.

Interesting: the first prototype of the "Bohdana" was created in 2018 (it was then shown to the public at a military parade in the capital), but the SPG’s trials were constantly delayed due to legal proceedings and irregularly continued until January 2022. Only from 2023 did the howitzer begin to be produced in series.

In 2023, about six units of these SPGs were produced per month. By 2024, about 154 serial samples were produced, meaning the production rate was 10-15 units per month. Currently, production rates have already reached 36 machines per month.

At the end of February 2022, the developers of the "Bohdana" received an order to destroy the prototype, so the latest Ukrainian SPG would not fall into enemy hands. However, it was not destroyed; in Kramatorsk, the experimental sample was disassembled into parts and transported to the rear, to Zhytomyr.

Let us remind you that the first combat use of the "Bohdana" was the battle for Snake Island. The howitzer, together with the French CAESAR, struck Russian forces on the island, firing from a position near Vylkovo. It was from the "Bohdana" that, among other things, the occupiers’ "Pantsir" SAM system was destroyed.

The then commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, specifically emphasized that "Bohdana" played an important role in the liberation of the island.

Technical specifications

From other SPGs, "Bohdana" is distinguished primarily by the presence of an improved shell feeder. According to the military, this mechanism allowed increasing the firing rate from 3 to 6 rounds per minute.

So far, the design of the "Bohdana" feeder is similar to the Russian "Pion": the ammunition is manually placed on a special tray, which raises the shell and sends it to the breech. However, developers at IDEX-2023 announced a fully automatic artillery part that does not require crew participation for loading.

Control of loading, aiming, and firing can be carried out both from the cabin of the unit and externally, since a second control point is installed in the rear of the SPG.

Also, the SPG is equipped with ballistic radars (the radar measures the initial velocity of the projectile, allowing for more accurate corrections).

Weight: 28 tons
Crew: 5 people
Maximum speed on the road: 80 km/h; on rough terrain: 30 km/h
Elevation angles of the barrel: +5...+65°
Ammunition: containers for 20 shells
Range of fire: minimal – 780 m, maximum – 30 km for a fragmentation projectile, 40 km for an active-reactive projectile

The production cost of one SPG as of 2025 is estimated to be less than 3 million euros.

Topics: Bohdana SAU Military-industrial complex AFU