The Ukrainian military said on Wednesday that the self-propelled guns received from Western partners last year are probably the best in the world, and the Russians have nothing comparable to them.

“PzH 2000 is probably the best self-propelled gun in the world. The Ukrainian army is grateful to our partners. There is nothing comparable in Russia, because a terrorist state is not capable of creating such a masterpiece. Who do you think will win? [războiul]?”, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported on its page on Wednesday Twitterdistributing the video published by Oleksiy Reznikov.

“We want to thank our German friends for their unwavering support! [Obuzierele] The PzH-2000 will make a significant difference on the battlefield, and the occupiers will not like it. German quality + Ukrainian skill and talent = Victory,” the Minister of Defense of Ukraine noted.

Reznikov’s comments followed President Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s visit to Germany over the weekend, during which Chancellor Olaf Scholz assured that his country would support Ukraine “as much as it takes.”

“In the most difficult period of the modern history of Ukraine, Germany is proud to be our true friend and our reliable ally,” Zelensky also noted in the guest book of the German presidency, when Berlin on Saturday approved the largest package of military support for Ukraine to date. .

What a weapon like the PzH 2000 is capable of

Although the messages of Reznikov and the Ukrainian military obviously have a propaganda subtext, the Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzers have a number of impressive technical characteristics.

It can fire 10 shells of 155 millimeters per minute or 3 in 9 seconds in the mode of “continuous” firing. They can hit targets at distances of 30-36 kilometers, 40-47 kilometers and at a maximum distance of up to 67 kilometers, depending on the type of projectiles used.

PzH 2000 can carry up to 60 shells with a range of 420 kilometers. Despite the considerable mass of almost 58 tons, protected by armor 14.5 millimeters thick, the howitzer can develop a maximum speed of 67 kilometers per hour on the road and 45 km/h on the battlefield.

For use in combat, a crew of 5 is required, consisting of a commander, driver, gunner and two loaders.

Despite the impressive technical characteristics, reports appeared in the German press last summer that the Ukrainian army has problems with the PzH 2000 systems due to the high rate of fire of the Ukrainian military, which puts enormous pressure on the weapon’s loading mechanism.

They seem to have been resolved in the meantime.

How many Panzerhaubitze howitzers Ukraine received

In addition to Germany, Ukraine also received PzH ​​2000 howitzers from the Netherlands, which the Dutch government announced in April last year. By the end of December 2022, Kyiv received 22 PzH ​​2000 howitzers: 14 from Germany and 8 from the Netherlands.

In turn, Italy promised Ukraine 6 such howitzers, but they have not yet been delivered.

At the end of July last year, the German federal government approved the sale of 100 PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine at a cost of 1.7 billion euros, according to a statement originally released by a representative of the manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW). .

Other self-propelled howitzers and guns that Ukraine received from partners include Caesar (France), Dana (Czech Republic), Zuzana (Slovakia), M109 (Norway, Great Britain, Latvia) and Krab (Poland) guns.

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