How and why Europe is replenishing tube artillery in the drone warfare era
The South Korean Hanwha K9A1 Thunder SPH has chalked up an impressive number of sales in Europe and has a clear development path for the future. (Photo: Hanwha)
Modern conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war have exposed gaps in Western artillery, with European militaries increasingly looking to invest in longer-range systems with a focus on logistics and resilience.
Despite other weapon systems dominating the headlines, conventional tube artillery is still used extensively by both sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and is on the procurement lists of most European armies.
Even in the fast-moving arena of modern combat operations, some things remain constant: field artillery is still the only weapon system that can provide indirect fire support to ground forces on a 24/7 basis for 365 days a year.
For many years the US M109 155mm/39cal self-propelled howitzer (SPH) was the most widely used such system in NATO, but almost all members have replaced this with new tracked or
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Land Warfare
-
![FNSS advances Indonesian Kaplan APC programme as local production expands]()
FNSS advances Indonesian Kaplan APC programme as local production expands
FNSS and PT Pindad are progressing the Indonesian tracked armoured personnel carrier programme as local production gets under way.
-
![British Army's open plan draws diverse offerings for Land Rover replacement]()
British Army's open plan draws diverse offerings for Land Rover replacement
The UK Ministry of Defence has avoided being prescriptive in its search to replace the British Army’s Land Rover, meaning vehicle types being offered range from Land Rover Defender Wolf II and Humvee to the hybrid series Fering Pioneer. What does this mean for the procurement process?
-
![DVD 2026: British Army’s Ajax back in the hands of users as part of a gradual return]()
DVD 2026: British Army’s Ajax back in the hands of users as part of a gradual return
The introduction of Ajax vehicles into British Army service was stopped after operator health issues were reported during an exercise, but manufacturer General Dynamics Land Systems UK believes work over the past 10 months has dealt with the problems.
