First Towed Bohdana-B Howitzer Delivered to Ukrainian Army

Ukraine’s 47th Separate Artillery Brigade has received its first towed 155mm Bohdana-B howitzer, a domestically produced artillery system.

The brigade’s press service released photos of the new equipment, showing Ukrainian artillery crews deploying and firing the howitzer.

The Bohdana-B is based on the artillery unit of the Bohdana self-propelled howitzer, mounted on a towed carriage derived from the Soviet-era Giatsint-B gun.

Judging by the images, the Bohdana-B retains the original 52-caliber barrel. Its weight is estimated to exceed 10 tons, requiring a Daewoo Novus truck for transportation.

The Bohdana-B prototype was first publicly presented at the end of 2024, though development has been underway since at least December 2023.

Introducing a towed version is not meant to replace the Bohdana self-propelled howitzer but to complement it, offering a cost-effective way to reinforce Ukraine’s artillery capabilities.

Towed systems have several advantages over self-propelled models, including greater survivability, lower operational complexity, and reduced costs.

Last year, Militarnyi published an article in which estimated the cost of a towed Bohdana at approximately $1.5 million, compared to $2.5 million for the self-propelled version.

According to Ihor Fedirko, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry, Ukraine’s domestic production of artillery components far exceeds the availability of foreign-made truck chassis, which has slowed deliveries of self-propelled systems.

Producing towed versions eliminates this bottleneck, enabling faster deployment of new artillery units.

Using the carriages of retired Soviet-era Giatsint-B howitzers—many of which were placed in storage due to barrel wear and ammunition shortages—is seen as a cost-effective solution. This approach allows to field new artillery systems more quickly while reducing production costs.

Fedirko stated that the Ukrainian industry has the capacity to manufacture artillery components at a rate sufficient to fulfill contracts for 115 units within two to three months—around 40 systems per month.

If self-propelled howitzer production continues at its current pace, parallel production of the towed Bohdana could be ramped up to several dozen units per month.

Since last year, Ukrainian-made artillery systems have been supplied to at least six military units, including the army, marines, National Guard, Main Intelligence Directorate, and a combined National Police brigade.