The Lithuanian Army has received its first two upgraded PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers on December 14.

The first two upgraded PzH 2000 (Panzerhaubitze 2000) self-propelled howitzers have been delivered to the General Romualdas Giedraitis Artillery Battalion of the Mechanised Infantry Brigade Iron Wolf based in Rukla, the Ministry of National Defence Republic of Lithuania announced.

“In modern military conflicts, as we can see from the military actions in Ukraine and in other critical spots, effective artillery is one of the most important defense and, at the same time, pillars of deterrence. These fully upgraded armored heavy haul vehicles will undoubtedly strengthen the defense capabilities of the Lithuanian Armed Forces as they are today setting the highest possible standard in the field of indirect artillery, “said Gediminas Jeglinskas, the Deputy Minister of National Defense.

New self-propelled howitzers were acquired from the German Army under a treaty signed in September 2015.

In total, the Lithuanian Armed Forces will obtain 21 155mm self-propelled howitzers from the German Armed Forces under the contract. 16 of them will be used for combat purposes, 2 will be used for training firing and driving skills, and 3 more – for spare parts.

The PzH 2000 is a 155mm 52 calibers (L52) self-propelled howitzer designed to provide indirect fire support to rapid reaction forces and artillery regiments. It is compatible with all 155 NATO standard shells and charges, and features high rates of fire with outstanding accuracy.