Ukraine Aims To Procure T-155 FIRTINA Howitzers From Turkey
During an interview with the Ukrainian National news agency Ukrinform, Brigadier General Oleksiy Gromov, Deputy Head of the General Operations Department of the Ukrainian General Staff, stated that Ukraine expects to receive Turkish-made Fırtına self-propelled howitzers. “New systems such as ‘Archer’ (a Swedish-made howitzer) and ‘Fırtına’ are expected to arrive, which are not currently used by Ukrainian Armed Forces units,” the Ukrainian Brigadier General said in a statement.
Turkey, which has shipped a variety of military equipment to Ukraine since the beginning of the war, including the Bayraktar TB2, BMC KİRPİ, COBRA-II, TR-122 Rocket, and TRLG-230 Surface-to-Surface Missile System, has not previously made any announcements that T-155 FIRTINA howitzers will be sent to Ukraine. For the time being, it is unknown whether Turkish authorities will permit the supply of FIRTINA Howitzers to Ukraine, and if so, how many howitzers will be shipped to Ukraine, and whether these howitzers will be sold under contract or donated.
The T-155 Fırtına is a localized Turkish version of Hanwha Defense’s Korean K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer. T-155 FIRTINA howitzers, which have been in the Turkish Land Forces Command’s inventory since 2004 and have proven themselves in operations such as Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch, Peace Spring, and Spring Shield, share characteristics with the M777, FH-70, TRF-1, PzH 2000, AHS Krab, Caesar, Zuzana, AS90, M109, M119, and L119 artillery guns currently used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This artillery system weighs 47 tons and is 12 meters long and 3.4 meters wide. As its primary weapon, the 155/52 caliber T-155 FIRTINA can use any NATO standard 155mm howitzer ammunition. Depending on the ammunition used, Fırtına howitzers have a minimum firing range of 8km and a maximum range of 40km.
The vehicle can carry 48 shells and has an electrically operated automatic reloading system. The artillery system, which takes 30 seconds to prepare for a firing mission from motion, can fire three shots in 15 seconds. Fırtına has a continuous fire rate of 2 rounds per minute and a maximum capacity of 8 rounds per minute. Fırtına has a crew of five, including the driver, gunner, assistant, and loader. The MTU-881 KA 500 Diesel Engine, which produces 1,000hp and is paired with the Allison X1100-5 fully automatic transmission, allows the vehicle to travel a maximum of 360km at a speed of 65km/h. Fırtına’s suspension system, which consists of 12 hydro-pneumatic suspension units and wheels, allows it to climb 60% steep slopes and hold 30% side slopes, as well as cross 1.5 meters deep waters and 2.8 meters ditches.
The Turkish defense industry, on the other hand, continues to produce and deliver the FIRTINA-II Howitzer, which has far more advanced features. So far, 9 FIRTINA-II Howitzers have been delivered within the project’s scope, which calls for the production of 140 next generation FIRTINA Self-Propelled Howitzer systems for the Turkish Land Forces Command.