As part of the arsenal of weapons being tested on Ukraine's battlefield that has become the globe's largest weapons fair, the Panzerhaubitze howitzer, a high-tech German artillery system, has become the latest. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, the war in Ukraine has become an opportunity for arms manufacturers to test their products and learn more about how to best operate them for optimal performance.

Discussing the performance of the weapons could reformulate military procurement in the near future, especially after exhibitors at a major arms fair in the UK this month claimed to have frequently been asked about the performance of their weapons in Ukraine.

Global military spending reached for the eighth consecutive year last year a record high of $2.24 trillion, as per the think tank the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Playing the fields

Tom Arseneault, the chief executive of the US operations of the UK defense giant BAE Systems, said, “People are looking at Ukraine and seeing what’s working."

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BAE Systems said it is discussing with Kiev making its L119 artillery gun in Ukraine after proving useful and given its increasing purchase orders, namely for its CV90 combat vehicle and the M777 based on their performance in the war.

Gen. Patrick Sanders, the head of the UK army, has noted an impact on procurement orders. The war on Syria is yet another example of influence on procurement orders by the UK, which has Europe’s largest military budget.

“You look for repeat patterns,” he said, adding that on-site battlefield repairs are one lesson learned from Ukraine, particularly useful in the area of howitzers, the most widely used Western weapons in Ukraine.

More production, more problems

Made by Rheinmetall and the German arm of KNDS, the Panzerhaubitze has gotten orders from Berlin to replace units in Ukraine, but its frequent use has led to breakdowns, as per Ukrainian artillerymen. 

For instance, one of them operated by the Bakhmut crew caught fire and was taken back to Germany, while another malfunctioned in its electronic automatic loading process. 

According to Armin Papperger, Rheinmetall’s CEO, the manufacturer identified the problems of being fired too much and a lack of servicing. “If they take care of the electronics, it works."

According to military experts, another lesson is that there was not sufficient time for operators to get them back onto the battlefield as Ukrainian artillerymen received five weeks of training on them while German operators typically train for four months.

Papperger added that the war is demonstrating how fast barrels wear out, as Rheinmetall is tripling its production of gun barrels for armored fighting vehicles.

An operator of the Polish howitzer, the AHS Krab, claimed that one machine was used so much that its barrel tore off.

Col. Serhiy Baranov, chief of the main directorate of missile troops and artillery and unmanned systems of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, stated that less than 70% of Ukraine’s foreign howitzers are operating at any one time.

He added that the British-made M777 is in use more than other howitzers at about 85% of the time, as a result of it being easier to repair and having more spare parts available. 

In come the Brits

Ukrainians just finished training by the US on “truck-size” 3D printers that make spare parts for equipment, such as troop carriers and artillery, according to Pentagon acquisition chief Bill LaPlante earlier this month.

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The artillerymen claim that the M777 is easier to train on and is very accurate and that its lightweight titanium parts do not make it hard to move on muddy fields, but operators say it is more vulnerable to counterfire and its lightweight parts make it more susceptible to damage from shrapnel.

BAE Systems, which makes the M777, said it intends to restart production only if interest turns into orders.

The CV90 was used in Afghanistan and Liberia, but “it’s totally different to what we are seeing in Ukraine,” as per Dan Lindell, director of combat vehicles at the Swedish unit of BAE Systems.

He noted that BAE received more inquiries based on its performance in Ukraine, taking into consideration that the Swedish and Ukrainian governments also agreed on a deal that could lead to the production of CV90s in Ukraine.

'Proven in combat'

Rocket launchers, such as the US Himars and M270S, impressed the UK's Sanders in Ukraine, with Sanders citing their precision, concentration of firepower, and range.

Since the breakout of the war, the US Army has awarded weapon manufacturer Lockheed Martin $630 million in contracts to make Himars for itself and its allies.

On the other hand, RTX is upping production of its Patriot missile defense system to 12 per year and intends to deliver five more to Ukraine by the end of next year, especially after its software was updated to destroy hypersonic missiles.

Nicholas Drummond, a former British army officer who runs defense-industry consulting firm AURA Consulting Ltd., said, “Successful operation allows manufacturers to write ‘proven in combat,’ which helps sales."