Ukrainian troops fire UK-donated artillery to mark end of training

Ukrainian soldiers fired UK-donated AS90 self-propelled artillery guns to mark the end of their training in south-west England.

Uniformed troops wearing ear defenders blasted rounds into the air as Ukraine's blue and yellow flag was pictured flying above the artillery units on Thursday.

British Army instructors taught the 72 Ukrainian army personnel how to operate and maintain the guns when in combat, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) said.

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The photos were taken at the end of their seven-week training course and the troops will soon return home.

More than 1,000 UK service personnel have been involved in running the programme, taking place at military sites across the north west, south west and south east, as part of the UK Government's support for Ukraine following its invasion by Russia in February 2022.

Training on the AS90 guns is taking place at a specialist facility under the control of the Royal School of Artillery and is conducted by officers and soldiers of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, the MOD said.

Some of the newly-trained Ukrainian troops were experienced artillery soldiers while others had minimal or no military experience, it added.

The UK Government provided £2.3bn of military aid to Ukraine in 2022 and has promised a similar amount this year.

It said it has supplied more than 10,000 anti-tank missiles, 100,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, more than one hundred anti-aircraft guns, self-propelled artillery, and trained more than 15,000 recruits.

What is the AS90?

The AS90 entered service with the British Army in the 1990s.

It is a 155mm self-propelled gun that equips three field regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Artillery.

It is fitted with a 155mm, 39-calibre gun barrel.

According to the Army, in trials, two AS90 guns were able to deliver a total payload of 261kg onto a single target in less than 10 seconds.

With an automated loading system, the gun is able to fire with a burst rate of three rounds in fewer than 10 seconds, an intense rate of six rounds a minute for three minutes and a sustained rate of two rounds a minute.

The gun is equipped with a recoil and hydrogas suspension system, which allows the turret to traverse and fire through a full 360°.

AS90 Specifications:

Technical characteristics/specifications

AS-90

Crew: 5, on board when moving (driver plus 4 gun detachment)

Length: 9.07m

Width: 3.5m

Height: 2.4m

Weight: 45 tonnes

Calibre: 155mm

Vehicle Range: 420km

Effective Range: 24.7km

Max speed: 53km/h

Vehicle range: 370km or 231m (Road)

Main Arment: 1 x L31 36-Calibre Ordnance

Ammunition Carried: 48 x 155mm rounds

Second Armament: 1 x 7.62 GPMG on turret

Rate of fire: Burst (3 rounds/10 sec), Intense (6 rounds/minute for 3 minutes), Sustained (2 rounds/minutes for 60 minutes)