Ukraine’s Bohdana self-propelled howitzer: specifications and production history 

In this article Espreso tells more about the Ukrainian howitzer designed according to NATO standards, the history of its creation, its use during special operations, and the features of Bohdana.

How Bohdana was created

The development of the 2S22 Bohdana artillery system began after the start of the war in Donbas. Research and development work under the state defense order has been underway since February 2016. About 10 defense companies were involved in the joint project. A special feature of the development at the Kramatorsk Heavy Duty Machine Tool Building Plant was the mastering of the production of a rifled barrel for this self-propelled artillery system from Ukrainian steel and using Ukrainian equipment. The prototype was mounted on a KrAZ-63221 wheeled chassis with an armored cab.

Another important aspect is that the howitzer is designed for NATO 155-mm shells. The 155 mm caliber is the standard for divisional-level field artillery in NATO countries, unlike the 152 mm caliber that was adopted in the USSR.

The first public mention of the Bohdana self-propelled artillery system was made on July 14, 2018. At that time, military expert Serhiy Zgurets said that the system would be shown to the public for the first time at the Independence Day military parade. In August, the first demonstration of the Bohdana took place on Kyiv’s Khreshchatyk Street. 

155 mm Bohdana 2S22 self-propelled artillery system in a workshop. September 2020 / Photo: Roman Kostenko

As of the beginning of October 2019, the first howitzer was manufactured, which successfully passed the road trials and fired the first test shots. However, due to the lack of domestic shells of the required caliber, the factory tests were not completed. In October 2022, Bohdana underwent test firing, and in January 2022, when the full-scale Russian invasion was a month away, it underwent firing tests at the Alibey training ground in the Odesa region. The artillery system successfully fired 450 rounds at a range of 42 km.

Technical characteristics of the Bohdana self-propelled howitzer

The declared curb weight of Bohdana is 28 tons. Its crew consists of 5 people. The vehicle has a ballistic computer, built-in navigation system and a commander's display. The artillery system has an automated guidance system based on Siemens SIPLUS and SIMATIC HM controllers and an automatic ammunition supply system for 6 shells. Loading, guidance and firing can be controlled from the vehicle's cockpit or from the outside - a second control point is installed in the rear of the 2S22 Bohdana. The self-propelled artillery system also has containers that can hold 20 shells.

• Weight: 28 tons;
• Chassis: KrAZ-63221, MAZ-6317, MAN, Tatra;
• Crew: 5 people;
• Highway speed: 80 km/h;
• Speed on rough terrain: 30 km/h;
• Engine: 380-420 hp.
• Barrel: 155 mm caliber, 52 caliber length;
• Angles of elevation: from +5 to +65 degrees;
• Automatic loading: 6 shells;
• Rate of fire: 4-6 shots per minute;
• Minimum range of fire: 780 м
• Maximum range of fire: 40-42 km (high-explosive fragmentation), 45-60 km (active-reactive)

In terms of weapon class and performance, the Ukrainian self-propelled system is similar to the French CAESAR self-propelled howitzer. The manufacturers claim that the artillery unit can be brought into a combat position in 1.5 minutes. In addition, it has a data exchange system. Bohdana has a navigation system and an onboard fire control system. The self-propelled artillery system can accelerate up to 30 km/h off-road and up to 80 km/h on the road. The range is 500 and 800 km, respectively.

Photo: defence-ua

The howitzer has anti-bullet armor protection for the crew against B-32 caliber (7.62 mm) bullets at a distance of no more than 30 meters and against fragments of similar shells. It also has mine protection.

The vehicle can move in the dark without headlights, in a light camouflage mode, because the driver uses special screens that display images of infrared cameras. Bohdana can cross a ford 1.2 meters deep.

At the same time, it should be understood that the Bohdana systems that the Ukrainian military is currently using at the front are unlikely to have all these types of upgrades.

Bohdana and the liberation of Zmiinyi Island

With the outbreak of Russia's full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine, on February 25, 2022, the developers of the Bohdana self-propelled artillery system received an order to destroy it so that the enemy would not get the latest Ukrainian howitzer. In Kramatorsk, the prototype was disassembled into parts and taken to the rear, to Zhytomyr. There it was assembled and sent back to the front.

In the summer of 2022, Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi thanked the designers and manufacturers of the Bohdana, noting that it "played an important role in the liberation of Zmiinyi Island." The Ukrainian howitzer was able to be used in the liberation of the island due to its light weight and cross-country ability. By the way, the distance from Zmiinyi to the land is 37 kilometers. The Bohdana and CAESAR howitzers moved to firing positions on the seashore near the town of Vilkovo. For several days, the crews set up their positions and organized hiding places for the howitzers, and hung metal objects on the trees along the positions to prevent Russian radar from detecting the Ukrainian equipment.

Photo: mil.in.ua

"The use of Bohdana is one of the best examples of what modern weapons can do to the Russian army. From the coastline, the Ukrainian Armed Forces destroyed the Russians who tried to dig in on the captured Zmiinyi Island. Thanks to this system, thanks to missile systems and aviation. Thanks to the adjustment of high-precision fire, with the help of a Bayraktar drone, which was located at a distance of fifty kilometers, but this did not prevent it from giving the exact coordinates of the targets that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had to hit," commented Oleh Katkov, military expert, editor-in-chief of Defense Express.

Participant of the operation to recapture Zmiinyi Island, Yevhen Hrushovets, noted the functionality of the howitzer.

"Because of its simplicity, our Bohdana could be repaired on the spot with a hammer. We had a situation where we took a spare part from a tractor in Vilkovo and put it on the Bohdana. And it continued to work perfectly. I am sure that if we bring the current Bogdana up to scratch, it will be one of the best guns in the world," he said.

Mass production of Ukrainian howitzers

At the end of 2022, the 1st Ivan Bohun Brigade demonstrated firing from the 2S22 Bohdana artillery system. At the time, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov noted that Ukraine had financed the serial production of howitzers.

"The Ministry of Defense did not advertise it, but throughout the past year we did not stop purchasing weapons and military equipment from domestic manufacturers. After a critical period when a significant amount of resources was spent on imports of defense-related items, the Ministry of Defense has prepared a transition so that in 2023 the maximum amount of funds will be allocated to Ukrainian producers. This applies to all components - from uniforms, shoes, body armor and UAVs to heavy weapons and ammunition," Reznikov said. He also emphasized that Western tanks will be supported on the battlefield by Ukrainian artillery. Official confirmation that the Bohdana entered service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces came a few weeks ago. "Ukrainians are a very hospitable nation. As you can see in the photo, the design of the Ukrainian 155-mm self-propelled howitzer Bogdana provides a comfortable table where the crew can have a delicious meal. We will have more guns like this!" Reznikov tweeted.

On July 9, the 57th Otaman Kost Hordiienko Motorized Brigade demonstrated the use of two Ukrainian-made howitzers in the Bakhmut sector.

Suspilne, citing sources in the defense industry, reported that the Bohdana was adopted "under a simplified procedure" without repeated state tests. While the first tests did not show good results.

Photo: defence-ua

"During the testing of the previous version of the machine, a lot of shortcomings, problems and criticism were identified. The first is the KrAZ chassis. It is an absolutely unreliable platform, crooked, rough, constantly breaking down and does not meet the needs of the military. The second is the reliability of the artillery piece itself, the barrel locking mechanism, the quality of workmanship, permanent wedges, the lack of a loading machine, and the accuracy of the work," the journalists quoted Taras Chmut, editor of the Militarnyi portal.

By the way, it is planned that Bohdana will operate on several types of chassis. In addition to KrAZ, it is now MAZ (temporarily, because it is produced in Russia, but now several self-propelled gun systems operate on this chassis). Moreover, there are plans to put it on the chassis of Western manufacturers MAN and Tatra. In February 2023, Defense Express reported that the updated Bohdana self-propelled gun system could receive three types of chassis at once - from MAN, KrAZ with a 6x6 formula, and Tatra chassis with an 8x8 formula using an armored cab from Ukrainian Armor.

• Ukraine’s Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov commented on the prospects of the Ukrainian-made self-propelled artillery system Bohdana.