Advertisement

German PzH 2000 howitzers getting worn down in Ukraine

German PzH 2000 self-propelled artillery systems transferred to Ukrainian military
German PzH 2000 self-propelled artillery systems transferred to Ukrainian military

According to the report, there are now “unexpected problems” with the 14 PzH 2000 systems Germany transferred to Ukraine: oversights during procurement led to a lack of spare parts, jeopardizing the weapons’ combat effectiveness.

Read also: Third of German PzH 2000 howitzers in Ukraine already need repairs, to be sent to Slovakia

“German Defense Ministry failed to order enough spare parts to keep the howitzers repaired and properly maintained, in time,” the report says.

Spiegel writes that most of the howitzers now need repairs due to their heavy use – Ukrainian artillery crews shoot as many as 300 shells from each gun per day, causing significant wear.

ADVERTISEMENT

Read also: German justice minister visits Kyiv to talk to human rights defenders

“The lack of spare parts is hardly surprising; Bundeswehr’s procurement department repeatedly warned the (German Defense) ministry to order large shipments of parts for howitzers and MARS II rocket artillery systems, as it takes a while to deliver them,” the newspaper writes.

Read also: Slovakia provides Ukraine with another Zuzana 2 howitzer

“The so-called (ministerial) Ukraine HQ still hasn’t issued corresponding instructions.”

On Nov. 15, Germany announced plans to open a maintenance center in Slovakia – to service the military equipment Berlin has provided Ukraine with.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine