FH70 155mm towed howitzers donated by Italy are now deployed with Ukraine army
According to pictures published on the Twitter account of "Ukraine Weapons Tracker" on May 26, 2022, the FH70 155mm towed howitzers donated by Italy are already on combat duty with the Ukrainian army. It is impressive to see how quickly Ukrainian soldiers learn the use of all their new artillery systems that are totally different from their Russian-designed equipment.
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Ukrainian army soldiers conduct firing operations with FH70 155mm towed howitzers donated by Italy. (Picture source Twitter account Ukraine Weapons Tracker)
On May 15, 2022, Army Recognition reported that the Italian government had approved the delivery of FH70 155mm towed howitzers from the Italian army inventory.
On April 27, 2022, Army Recognition reported that Italy was considering different options for delivering weapons to Ukraine including 155mm artillery howitzers PzH 2000, M109L, as well as Sidam 25 quad-gun air defense vehicles on M113 chassis, M113A1 and VCC-1 tracked APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) vehicles, Iveco VM90 and LMV 4x4 light tactical vehicles.
The FH70 is a towed 155 mm howitzer that was developed by an international consortium that included Vickers Ltd in the UK, OTO Melara in Italy, and Rheinmetall in Germany. It entered service in 1978 with the German and British armies.
The FH70 is normally operated by a crew of 8 soldiers but it is possible to operate with a crew of only 4. This howitzer is equipped with a semi-automatic loading system that consists of a loading tray and an automatic tube loader, which operate at any elevation or traversal.
The FH-70 can fire all the standard 155mm NATO ammunition with a maximum firing range of 24.7 km or 30 km with extended range shells. The howitzer is normally towed by a 5-ton truck that also carries the crew and ammunition. It is also equipped with an APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) allowing the FH-70 to move on its own and enabling a shoot-and-scoot ability which is an artillery tactic of firing at a target and then immediately moving away from the location from where the shots were fired to avoid counter-battery fire.
