In a video published on social networks, Ukrainians can be seen losing an AS-90 self-propelled howitzer donated by London, which the British military called one of its “formidable weapons”.

The video was taken near the village of Mali Shcherbaki in the Zaporizhia region, where the Ukrainian military appears to have concentrated its offensive efforts, with the administrators of the Ukraine Weapons Trakcer page noting that this is the first confirmation of the destruction of such a Russian 155mm howitzer.

The government in London handed over 32 such combat vehicles to Ukrainian forces and trained the Ukrainian military in Britain to use them.

In a post on its Twitter page in mid-April, the British Ministry of Defense noted that “the program [de instruire] this is part of Britain’s longstanding commitment to support Ukraine in its struggle with Russia.”

“Meet the formidable 155mm AS90 self-propelled gun on which the British Army trained Ukrainian tank crews,” said a statement from the Ministry of Defense in London, along with a video showing a Ukrainian flag already mounted on one of the combat-ready howitzers. forces of Kyiv.

Ukraine Weapons Tracker notes that although the AS-90 howitzers are quite similar in design to the “Krab” that Ukraine received from Poland, several characteristic elements of the chassis undoubtedly confirm that in the video that has now appeared on social networks. social networks is a British 155 mm howitzer.

While attacks by Russian low-cost kamikaze drones on valuable equipment obtained by Ukraine from the West are causing increasing concern to the military command in Kyiv, the size of the funnel visible in the video seems to make the hypothesis that the AS-90 howitzer was hit by such a weapon. weapons are less likely.weapons.

However, some observers note that the British machine could have fallen victim to a catastrophic detonation of on-board munitions, similar to what happened to numerous Russian tanks and armored vehicles, despite the 17 mm thick armor.

What capabilities do AS-90 howitzers have?

These tracked guns can launch standard 155 mm rounds up to 25 or 30 kilometers, depending on the length of the barrel, which is available in two variants. It is not known which of the two versions the British government promised Ukraine.

AS-90 howitzers can fire 3 rounds per 10 seconds (interval mode), 6 per minute for 3 minutes (intense fire) and 2 per minute per hour (sustained fire).

This howitzer, nicknamed “Braveheart” by the British Armed Forces, entered service in 1992. The name “AS-90” comes from the fact that at the time it was introduced by the manufacturer, BAE Systems Land Systems, as a weapon. system for the 1990s.

From 1992 to 1995, only 179 such howitzers were produced, which makes the figure that Britain promised Ukraine even higher.

These British howitzers can be compared with the Panzerhaubitze 2000, which is supplied to Ukraine by the German army.

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