The weapon, serving in the hands of Ukraine’s legendary 93rd Mechanized Brigade is a U.S.-built M109 self-propelled howitzer, better known as the Paladin. Bit by bit as Russia’s full-scale war progressed, Western howitzers like the Paladin, which shoot the 155mm shells standard to all NATO armies, have largely replaced Ukraine’s legacy Soviet-era artillery pieces. Kyiv has received hundreds of 155mm howitzers to deploy along an active front line stretching over 1,200 kilometers across the country.
The M109 breed of self-propelled guns is one of the most fearsome the world has ever known. Available to fight battles ever since the early 1960s, it too.
Russia’s giant self-propelled mortars are now arriving on the battlefield – and getting destroyed just as fast. It s a symptom of a deeper problem for Russian artillery.
The Paladins bring more mobile capability to Taiwan’s artillery, and brings to the table GPS-guided shells precise enough to pose a threat to targets like landing craft and armored vehicles.