M109 howitzers of the Belgian Armed Forces. Photo credits: Flanders Technical Supply via Belgian Military Interests.
Former Belgian Army M109 155 mm self-propelled howitzers were sold to Ukraine by a private company, Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder confirmed to the Chamber of Representatives on June 1.
In 2008, the Belgian army withdrew 108 M109A4BE howitzers from service. Later they were all sold to two private companies, Flanders Technical Supply and OIP Land Systems.
Ukraine purchased the howitzers from OIP Land Systems. The company is thought to have bought 44 of the Belgian army’s M109A4BE howitzers. In 2018, it sold 18 of the howitzers to the US in a re-export deal. This means that Ukraine may have bought the remaining 26 howitzers.
According to Dedonder, the Belgian army wanted to rebuy the M109A4BE howitzers from OIP Land Systems. However, the company priced the howitzers more than ten times higher than the price at which they were sold to it.
It’s worth noting that Ukraine also received around 20 M109A3GN howitzers from Norway. Some of these howitzers have been already spotted heading towards the frontlines in the Donbass region.
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- Click to see full-size image. By the Anadolu Agency, via Twitter.
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- Click to see full-size image. By the Anadolu Agency, via Twitter.
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- Click to see full-size image. By the Anadolu Agency, via Twitter.
The US-made M109A4BE has a maximum firing range of 21 kilometers with regular rounds and up to 30 kilometers with rocket-assisted rounds. The howitzer can fire four rounds per minute.
Ukraine received hundreds of howitzers from its Western allies over the last few weeks. Despite this, its forces are still outgunned by the Russian military and the armed forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic.
