2S22 Bohdana (2018)

Self-Propelled Howitzer, c50+ made.

The 2S22 Bohdana (also Bogdan or Bogdana) is an armoured 155 mm NATO-standard wheeled self-propelled howitzer developed in Ukraine. The prototype was developed from the six-wheel-drive KrAZ-6322 truck with an armoured cabin and storage for 20 shells. Range went from 780 meters to 42 km, or 50 km with a rocket-assisted shells, notably the superlative M982 Excalibur shell with a rate of 5 rounds per minute.

The Ukrainian Self Propelled Howitzer

Development

The 2S22 Bohdana was developed from 2015 by the Ukrainian defense industry, specifically by the Lugansk Armor Plant. It was first publicly unveiled in 2018, with prototypes tested and further refined in the years that followed. The development of the 2S22 was part of Ukraine's broader effort to modernize its military equipment in response to the ongoing conflict with Russia, especially after the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the war in eastern Ukraine. Live fire tests were performed in 2018 and successful.

First public display was at the Kyiv Independence Day Parade, 24 August 2018. Test firings were made at the Shyrokyi Lan training ground, May 2021. More test firings were performed at the range in Odessa Oblast, by December 2021, January 2022, with 450 shots fired at 42 km. Full production was greenlighted by January 2023 with the first units were scheduled for delivery later.

Design

The 2S22 Bohdana is a modern Ukrainian self-propelled howitzer designed to enhance the artillery capabilities of the Ukrainian military. The system is notable for its advanced features and relatively high mobility, and it represents a significant step forward in Ukraine's efforts to modernize its artillery forces. The 2S22 Bohdana is equipped with a 155mm howitzer. This caliber is standard for NATO artillery, allowing interoperability with NATO munitions. It is capable of firing a variety of shells, including high-explosive, guided, and rocket-assisted projectiles.

The howitzer is mounted on a KrAZ-6322 6x6 wheeled chassis. This provides better mobility over a tracked vehicle, especially in areas where roads and infrastructure may be limited or damaged, such as during conflict. It is reported to have a maximum firing range of around 40-50 kilometers with advanced projectiles, which is a significant range for a wheeled artillery system. Due to its wheeled chassis, the 2S22 has better road mobility compared to traditional tracked self-propelled artillery.

The Engine and mobility depended on the chassis, and whatever is the diesel engine used it can achieve up to 80km/h on road with a maximum operational range up to 1,000km. The Main production version is capable of negociating a vertical steps of 0.7m, trenches of 1m, climb a gradient of 60%, side slopes of 30% and fording maximum 1.2m. It can be deployed quickly and repositioned on the battlefield, making it more flexible and harder to target. It is designed to be operated by a crew of 5 to 6 soldiers. The system features an automated loading mechanism, which increases its rate of fire and reduces the human labor required.

The Bohdana is equipped with modern fire control systems, including GPS and inertial navigation, allowing for precision targeting and quick adjustments in response to changing battlefield conditions. The vehicle features some level of armor protection, though as a wheeled vehicle, it is not as heavily armored as its tracked counterparts. It relies more on speed, mobility, and positioning to avoid being targeted. Only the cabin received a bolted-on armored cell stopping small arms fire and shrapnel, standard STANAG 2920 with armoured glass.

Armament

The 2S22 Bohdana's 155mm cannon was mounted at the rear of the chassis. When travelling, its barrel was laid down just above the cabin, but the travel lock was located further inwards. Mounted on a rotating platform, it could elevate between 5° and 65° and fire all standard NATO 155mm ammunition. Minimum range went from 780m min. to 42 max. As part of the ammunition array it fired high-explosive incendiary and armour-piercing (HEIAP) ammunition up to a range of 42km, as well as rocket-assisted projectile (RAP) up to 50km. The maximum rate of fire was six shells a minute, 5 in practice, sutained.

The Fire control system comprised a computerised fire control system working with the main gun stabilisation and a ballistic calculator, and automatic gun laying system, as well as a GPS based navigation system. The gun laying system is powered by Siemens SIPLUS automated data driver and the navigation system allowed the Bohdana to determine its own location and engage targets more quickly.

Variants

The Bohdana 1.0 is the first production version, mounted on KrAZ-63221 6x6 truck chassis. c30 delivered so far.
The Bohdana 2.0 is an improved variant mounted on a MAZ chassis, with redesigned armored cabin and others. The autloader was modified in order to fire US Excalibur shell.
Bohdana 3.0, mounted on Tatra 815-7 chassis, equipped with Czech Puma armored cabin (prototype).
Bohdana 4.0: Latest production version (Tatra 158 Phoenix 8x8 chassis) with an Ukrarmor cabin and semi automatic loading system.
Bohdana-B/Bohdana-BG: Towed variant under development, single prototype on Giatsint-B carriage.

Deployment

The 2S22 Bohdana gives Ukraine a modern, flexible artillery option capable of delivering precise, long-range fire support. This is especially important for countering artillery threats from adversaries like Russia and for enabling rapid strikes at strategic targets. The 2S22 is part of a larger trend of Ukraine developing more advanced, domestically-produced military technologies as part of its defense strategy, seeking to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers and enhance its self-reliance. However, with only 30 built, it's weight in the present conflict is limited. To give an idea, the similar French CAESAR was supplied to Ukaine to an extent of 67 vehicles as of October 2024...

On 25 February 2022, from the start of the invasion, Bohdana's manufacturers feared captured and were ordered destroy the sole prototype, to prevent capture but teams were able to move it away and it joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces. On 7 May 2022 Forbes reported the prototype deployed on the frontline, quite a radical trials process with the risk of it being targeted and destroyed.

In June 2022, Ukrainian forces reportedly using the 2S22 Bohdana to shell Russian forces on Snake Island, 35 km from the mainland, and with strikes from other artillery systems and drones led to the retirement of Russian forces on 30 June. The Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov stated serial production was greenlighted in 2023 for an improved Bohdana based either on the KrAZ-6322 or MAN 6x6 chassis, with the company affirming it could be installed on a Tatra 817 8x8 chassis of needed.

By July 2023, the 57th Motorized Brigade was shown using two pre-production Bohdanas on Bogdan-6317 chassis (Chinese variant of the MAZ-631 -Chinese engine and transmission, Turkish-produced clutch). The 2S22 Bohdana was officially in service by 21 July 2023. Another proportotype was tested on a Tatra 815-7 8x8 chassis by the 1st Special Purpose Brigade. The chassis had been previously ordered for the Burevyi multiple rocket launcher, but the ammunition ran out in 2022.

In late November, images of an updated version of the Bohdana appeared on social media, featuring an autoloader liked the CAESAR system. Oryx blog, states that so far only a single 2S22 Bohdana was damaged, another ten were destroyed by 29 October 2024. Also, as of 2 October 2024, president Volodymyr Zelensky declared a rate of production of 20 Bohdanas per month. However production numbers are foggy, and on 15 September 2024, eighteen 2S22 Bohdana only were stated as completed and delivered, added to the 30 already delivered by December 2023. So this would made for a total of 50 so far.

2S22 Bohdana
Dimensions	8.5 x 2.7 x 4m
Total weight	25-28 tonnes (62,000 lb)
Crew	5
Propulsion	380–420 hp (280–310 kW)
Suspension	Coils, hydraulic arms
Speed (road)	80 kph
Range	1,200 km (750 mi)
Armament	155 mm howitzer
Armor	8 mm cabin armour panels
Total Production	c50