Poland moves closer to building Ukraine's Bohdana howitzer

Two Polish defense companies have agreed to work together on the wheeled chassis for 155mm self-propelled howitzers that Poland plans to build under license from Ukraine. PK MIL, part of the PONAR Wadowice group, and SZCZĘŚNIAK Pojazdy Specjalne of Bielsko-Biała signed a memorandum of understanding to select and adapt chassis for the systems, the companies said in a joint press release. The first planned product is the 155 mm Bogdana self-propelled howitzer, known in Ukraine as the Bohdana, which was developed by the Kramatorsk Heavy Machine Tool Plant and has been used by Ukrainian forces in combat for years. Under the plan, PK MIL handles the artillery system and SZCZĘŚNIAK brings its experience integrating military vehicle platforms. The companies did not disclose a production timeline, a contract value, or which chassis will be used. PK MIL is the joint venture PONAR Wadowice set up with the Kramatorsk plant to produce Bohdana artillery in Poland. PONAR holds a 51% stake, and the plan was made public in March, when The Defence Blog reported that Poland and Ukraine would team up on Bogdana production. Polish reporting at the time said the venture aims to supply both the Polish military and foreign customers, with the towed Bohdana-BG version also in its plans. The chassis question matters because the Bohdana has never been tied to a single vehicle. Ukrainian engineers have mounted the gun on several platforms, including a 6x6 variant and other new configurations, while a separate design on a Mercedes-Benz chassis appeared as the Zetros-based Marta. PK MIL board member Jacek Zygmunt said choosing a platform for export customers requires flexibility, since local service networks differ from country to country. "We have acquired a partner who brings the necessary experience and flexibility in selecting the wheeled platform. This is crucial given the export potential of this howitzer and the accompanying technical requirements of potential end users. A chassis that performs perfectly in one region may face servicing infrastructure barriers elsewhere," said Jacek Zygmunt, a member of the PK MIL management board. SZCZĘŚNIAK is a family-owned firm that builds heavy recovery and rescue vehicles for armed forces, as well as fire engines. It works with chassis makers including MAN, Scania, and SISU. The two companies previously worked together on a delivery of 45 heavy recovery and technical rescue vehicles for the Swedish Armed Forces. The companies said the partnership will also cover maintenance, repair, and support for the howitzers once they are in service. "Therefore, from the outset, we assume that the future cooperation between both companies would also include implementing solutions to enable maintenance, repair, and operational support for these vehicles with their end users," said Marek Warzecha, chairman of the management board of PK MIL. The release puts the howitzer's range at up to 50 km (31 miles). The companies estimate that global demand for wheeled self-propelled artillery could reach several thousand vehicles a year over the coming years, based on recent tenders, though they did not say how many systems they expect to build. "In this cooperation, we primarily see an opportunity to combine the experience and competencies of two Polish companies that complement each other well. We are keen to jointly build solutions that are not only state-of-the-art, but can also be produced, serviced, and further developed in Poland. This is an important direction for us and a real opportunity to create a product that is competitive in international markets as well," said Dr. Grzegorz Szczęśniak, president of the management board of SZCZĘŚNIAK Pojazdy Specjalne. Both firms have taken on other defense work in recent months. SZCZĘŚNIAK signed agreements with Finland's SISU Auto to develop military recovery vehicles and armored firefighting and rescue vehicles, and it will develop tactical and armored vehicle versions of the STAR Hyperion 8x8 for WB Group's GLADIUS reconnaissance and strike system. PONAR Wadowice was chosen for the technology transfer to maintain and overhaul components of South Korean K2 tanks in Poland, and it is working with the Polish Armaments Group on hydropneumatic suspension for heavy wheeled vehicles made by JELCZ.