The federal government will deliver four more PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers to the Ukraine in October. The parliamentary state secretary in the defense ministry, Siemtje Möller, informed the defense committee of the Bundestag in writing on Monday. WELT has the letter.
Accordingly, these are howitzers that are currently in the inventory of the industry and “are being repaired in an accelerated manner”. In addition, the federal government wants to provide 2000 shots of suitable ammunition.
So far, Germany has delivered ten self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine during the course of the war. “The Panzerhaubitzen 2000 delivered by Germany and the Netherlands have more than proven themselves in combat,” said Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD), according to a statement. “In order to continue to support Ukraine in its courageous fight against the brutal Russian attack, Germany will comply with this wish.” With the four self-propelled howitzers, the number of artillery pieces supplied by Germany increases to 14.
Just last week, Scholz justified his refusal to supply battle tanks to Ukraine with a “division of labor” between Germany and the United States in military support for Ukraine. Instead, Germany could “place an emphasis on air defense and artillery,” said the Chancellor.
Most recently, after weeks of hesitation, the federal government approved further weapons for Kyiv on Friday. Specifically, it is about 18 copies of the RCH-155 weapon system worth 216 million euros, which Ukraine has now ordered from the Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) armaments company. According to the manufacturer’s offer, which also includes training and spare parts, the first examples of the RCH-155 would be ready for delivery after 30 months at the earliest. According to Ukrainian information, KMW only wanted to start production when there was a clear signal from the federal government that the weapons could be exported to Ukraine.
