US artillery may reshape the war

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‘The king of battle’ — How US artillery in the hands of Ukrainians may reshape the war with Russia

The 90 M777 howitzers that the United States is providing to Ukraine will not only make it more difficult for the Russians to move out in the open but the guns could also support a future Ukrainian offensive to reclaim Russian-occupied parts of their country, experts told Task & Purpose.

About 70 of the 155 mm guns along with roughly 70,000 artillery rounds have been transferred to Ukraine so far, a senior defense official told reporters on Monday. More than 200 Ukrainian troops are expected to be trained on how to operate the howitzers by the end of Monday with another 50 Ukrainian service members scheduled to begin training later this week.

The first Ukrainian artillerymen were trained by Canadian troops and other Ukrainians were taught how to operate the howitzers by Florida National Guardsmen, the senior defense official said at a Pentagon news briefing. Those guardsmen had been on a training mission inside Ukraine before the Russian invasion and now they are continuing their mission in Germany.

Even in this age of modern – and often over-engineered – weapons systems, artillery has proven its worth time and again on the battlefield. During the 2017 fight to drive the Islamic State group from its former capital of Raqqa, Syria, a Marine artillery detachment fired so many 155 mm rounds in support of Syrian Democratic Forces that they burned out the barrels of two of their M777 howitzers.

More here, full article: https://taskandpurpose.com/analysis/us-military-artillery-ukraine-russia-war/

[Amishman]

1. The real difference maker is the guided shells they can use and we are supplying

The Excalibur shells have a range of 25 miles and are guided. So any Russian asset that Ukraine can find with a scout drone within 25 miles of an artillery battery can be attacked quickly with near certainty of destruction.

[kirby]

2. I would be surprised...

If we are supplying those at $250k per shell.

[Gore1FL]

4. I believe we are supplying a mix, but I don't know if the U.S. has specifically announced as much

I am pretty sure Canada and others have stated that Excalibur rounds are in their packages though.

[Brother Buzz]

5. I heard initially we were NOT including the bling-bling shells

[EX500rider]

6. The original Copperhead GPS round was $250,000+

Excalibur rounds are down to $68,000+-

What we should send is the much cheaper M1156 PGK (Projectile Guidance Kit), it can turn any 155mm shell into a GPS guided one and costs about 70 percent less then the Excalibur. The advantage PGK has is that the GPS guidance is not built into a shell but instead it is a slightly heavier and larger fuze that screws into the front of a 155mm. This PGK fuze contains a GPS and small fins to guide the shell to a precision hit.

[Brother Buzz]

3. $68,000 a pop!

That Raytheon agent prowling the halls of the Pentagon and the Capitol Building has a little bounce in his step.

[Amishman]

8. True, but consider the cost to Russia for each tank and other expensive armored vehicle wrecked.

Probably some of the best value for military spending we've seen in a long time.

[Brother Buzz]

9. I like The First Tractor Brigade of Ukraine's business model better

I understand they can haul them from the field, completely rebuild them, then turn them over the the Ukrainian army in a matter of days. Mysteriously, the mechanical wizards are able to coax an additional hundred horsepower out of them, they are that good!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. K&R