MOSCOW, November 13. /TASS/. The Ukrainian army has very few 2S7 Pion self-propelled howitzers left in combat ready condition, as many of them were destroyed at the beginning of the special operation, so the delivery of US ammunition for them will have no noticeable effect on the battlefield, an armored vehicles expert, Colonel Sergey Suvorov, retired, has told TASS.

Earlier, the Bild newspaper said that the Ukrainian military was using US-made shells for the Pion howitzer in the controlled part of the Donetsk People’s Republic. Ukraine ran out of the Soviet-made ammunition for this type of artillery pieces back in 2022.

Suvorov speculated that Ukraine might now be using shells for US M110 and M115 guns of the same caliber. However, the expert noted, both had been withdrawn from service a long time ago.

"In any case, at the beginning of the special operation the Russian forces eliminated many Pions. Even if now those still available can cause certain damage again, they will be destroyed before long. According to various sources, only a handful of them is left. Clearly, they can cause harm, but certainly there is no chance for them to turn the tide," the expert said.

The 2S7 Pion self-propelled howitzer was developed in the 1980s and is still considered one of the most powerful in the world. The Malka gun is its modernized and improved version. The main purpose of the self-propelled artillery piece is to hit important targets and enemy facilities in the tactical depth of defense behind the front line. The updated gun has a rate of fire of up to 2.5 rounds per minute and a range of about 50 kilometers.