Ukrainian Army fields American made M777 howitzer

Ukrainian Soldiers already use the new 155mm M777 towed howitzer on the battlefield, according to the commander in chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyy.

Valeriy Zaluzhnyy posted Friday morning that Ukrainian Army began fielding the recently arrived M777 towed howitzers.

“Special greetings and thanks from our artillerymen to the American people for the M777 howitzer,” Zaluzhnyy wrote.

US and Australian Governments are sending batches of M777 howitzers to Ukraine to help the country defend itself against a further invasion by Russia.

The lightweight M777 155mm howitzer is an artillery piece utilized by the U.S. military and is capable of sending 155mm rounds 30 kilometers downrange. It requires an entire team of highly-trained Soldiers working hand-in-hand to operate the weapon correctly and efficiently. The U.S. has trained more than 300 Ukrainian artillerymen on the American-made M777 howitzer, with 50 more learning howitzer maintenance.

The M777 may be combined with the M982 Excalibur GPS-guided munition, which allows accurate fire at a range of up to 40 km (25 mi). This almost doubles the area covered by a single battery to about 1,250 km2 (480 sq mi).