In the first half of 2024, the German government approved the sale of the latest 155-mm wheeled self-propelled artillery systems to Qatar, which will in return transfer 12 PzH 2000s to Ukraine.
As reported by Bild, the vehicles will undergo repairs and maintenance in Germany before they will be delivered to Ukraine.
The German Aid to Ukraine project details that, according to the German Defense Ministry, 12 Qatari PzH 2000s cost about 150 million euros.
”This deal between Germany and Qatar to support Ukraine is actually not the first of its kind. Germany has already made deals with countries in this region in the past to enable exports to Ukraine,” German Aid to Ukraine notes on X.
A prominent example are the first two IRIS-T SLM fire units, which were delivered to Ukraine via a deal between Egypt and Germany.
In addition, German Aid to Ukraine recalls that there was also another deal between Qatar and Germany. Germany bought back 15 Gepard SPAAGs that had been sold to Qatar to protect the FIFA World Cup. These vehicles were delivered to Ukraine afterwards as well.
Panzerhaubitze 2000
The German PzH 2000 (Panzerhaubitze) self-propelled artillery unit, about 30 units of which are in service in Ukraine, boasts advanced capabilities including a 155mm cannon and high mobility.
The PzH 2000 is a German self-propelled artillery system developed by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. It is one of the most advanced artillery systems in the world. The first one appeared in Ukraine in June 2022.
At the moment there are about 30 PzH 2000 in service with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which were provided to Ukraine by Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
The PzH 2000 is a closed-type howitzer on a tracked chassis based on the Leopard 2 tank. It is reportedly powered by a 1000 hp MT881 8-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine, which allows the vehicle to accelerate up to 60 km/h on the highway.
The turret and body of the howitzer are made of homogeneous rolled steel armor, which provides protection against bullets of up to 14.5 mm caliber and against shell fragments. It can be additionally protected by “shingle” armor against shaped charge ammunition.
As noted, the main armament is a Rheinmetall 155 mm rifled gun with a chrome-plated 52-caliber barrel and semi-automatic elevating bolt with a standard 32-round magazine.
The howitzer is capable of firing 3 rounds in 10 seconds and strikes according to the MRSI principle, where the fired volley of shells falls on the target in an instant. The gun has a targeting angle of -2.5° to +65° degrees.
The howitzer can use the entire standard NATO line of projectiles. Effective range: up to 30 km with standard projectiles, 40 km with improved ballistics, and up to 56 km with improved ballistics active-jet projectiles.
Secondary armament is a 7.62 mm machine gun and two smoke grenade launchers.
The vehicle is equipped with ADLER or MICMOS 32/MICMOS 2000 fire control system with built-in NABK (NATO Artillery Ballistic Kernel) software for autonomous calculation of firing commands. The ballistic computer, GPS and inertial navigation systems, and a Doppler radar for measuring and controlling initial velocity make the PzH 2000 a fully autonomous weapon system.
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