Immediately after finishing crew training, towards the end of June, Germany delivered 7 2000/155 mm PzH-52 self-propelled artillery units to Ukraine. Delivery sanctioned by the words of the Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, who on 21 June thanked his German counterpart, Mrs Chrisitine Lambrecht, for the help provided in the fight against the Russian invader.
Obviously it is not enough to acquire means, we also need logistic support, which ensures the maintenance of their operating conditions. This presupposes the activation of a supply chain of spare parts as well as the training of the technicians in charge of carrying out repairs, should these become necessary.
According to the German weekly Der Spiegel, some of those 7 PzH-2000 self-propelled vehicles used by the Ukrainian army against Russian forces did not withstand the high rate of fire they have been subjected to since their delivery. At least, this is what the Bundeswehr assumes to explain the technical problems reported by Kiev last week.
According to the specifications issued by the German Army, the 155/52 mm piece installed on the PzH-2000 was designed for a consecutive rate of fire of approximately 100 rounds.
However, it would seem that the Ukrainian gunners have gone far beyond this limit, putting a strain on the automatic loading mechanism of the self-propelled vehicles. They would also have used ammunition unsuitable for the 52mm Rheinmetall L155 howitzers (perhaps US rounds were used Excalibur to get longer ranges).
However, the Bundeswehr assured that it would "quickly" send spare parts to repair the damaged PzH-2000s. Furthermore, Berlin plans to establish a repair center in Poland in order to provide better logistical support to the Ukrainian forces.
We recall that in recent days the German government has given the green light to the sale of 100 PzH-2000 to Ukraine, for a total amount of 1,7 billion euros.
In addition, the Ukrainian Army has just received the first self-propelled anti-aircraft Gepard 35 mm (second photo), also in this case there were major problems due to the ammunition used. In fact, Switzerland, where Oerlikon produces ammunition, had vetoed the delivery of 35 mm bullets. It was thought to overcome the ban by turning to a Norwegian manufacturer (probably Nammo). However, apparently, the ammunition supplied by the Scandinavian company caused several malfunctions in the power supply of the two 35 guns of the Gepard.
Photo: US Army / Bundeswehr
