The Reason Ukrainian Forces Are Favoring Conventional 155 mm Artillery Rounds Over Precision-Guided Munitions
Summary
Ukrainian artillery units, particularly the 7th Artillery Brigade, have shifted their preference away from expensive precision-guided munitions like the M982 Excalibur in favor of conventional unguided 155 mm shells, transferring the accuracy burden to the gun platform itself rather than the projectile. Lieutenant Colonel Vitaliy Kornienko explained in an interview how his brigade integrates first-person-view (FPV) drones with traditional tube artillery to compensate for the lack of terminal guidance in unguided rounds. This tactical evolution observed in the Russia-Ukraine War carries significant implications for other militaries, including Pakistan's Army, which is actively procuring similar 155 mm/52-calibre artillery systems and developing its own artillery ammunition capabilities. The Russia-Ukraine conflict, now spanning several years, has become the most comprehensive real-world laboratory for studying modern state-on-state warfare, offering long-term insights into emerging technologies, countermeasures, and counter-countermeasures that shorter conflicts cannot provide. Unlike other recent state-on-state engagements, the prolonged nature of this conflict uniquely allows military analysts to validate or challenge existing doctrines and theories under sustained combat conditions.
Key Takeaways
- 1. **Cost-Effectiveness Over Precision:** Ukrainian forces have determined that combining inexpensive unguided shells with FPV drone spotting delivers a more sustainable and cost-efficient solution than relying on expensive guided munitions like the Excalibur
- 2. **Drone-Artillery Integration:** The deliberate pairing of FPV drones with conventional tube artillery represents an emerging combined-arms tactic that shifts targeting intelligence to the observation layer rather than the munition itself
- 3. **Procurement Implications for Pakistan:** Pakistan's ongoing investment in 155 mm/52-calibre artillery platforms and domestic ammunition production aligns closely with battlefield lessons emerging from Ukraine, suggesting potential doctrinal crossover
- 4. **Ukraine as the Definitive Modern Warfare Benchmark:** The Russia-Ukraine War's extended duration makes it uniquely valuable as a case study compared to shorter recent conflicts, allowing sustained observation of technological adaptation cycles
- 5. **Doctrine Under Pressure:** The conflict continuously stress-tests established military theories and truisms over prolonged periods, revealing which principles hold under real combat conditions and which require revision