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UK Sends Entire AS-90 Howitzer Fleet to Ukraine, Retiring the Iconic Artillery System
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![Ivan_khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
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The United Kingdom has officially completed the transfer of all its AS-90 self-propelled artillery systems to Ukraine, marking the end of the AS-90's operational service within the British Armed Forces.
According to Army Technology on May 2, the final AS-90 units were delivered across three separate shipments—in 2023, April 2024, and September 2024—bringing the total confirmed number of transferred systems to approximately 68.
The AS-90s have since been integrated into several Ukrainian Armed Forces units, including the 58th Motorized Infantry Brigade in late 2024, and the 117th and 151st Brigades in early 2025.
Originally scheduled to remain in British service into the 2030s, the AS-90 program was phased out earlier than planned due to a shift in UK defense strategy. The British Army had already conducted its final AS-90 live-fire exercises in Estonia in May 2024.
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The decommissioned AS-90s were replaced by 14 Swedish Archer self-propelled howitzers, currently in service with the Royal Horse Artillery’s 1st Regiment. Some AS-90 systems were delivered to Ukraine in combat-ready condition, while others are reportedly used for spare parts to maintain operational units.
Data from the UK Ministry of Defense indicates that by early 2024, the number of AS-90s in British inventory had declined to 39 units, down from 57 in 2023. While the UK originally procured 179 AS-90s in the early 1990s, many had been retired from active service before the transfer program began.
The handover concludes a key chapter in British artillery history. The AS-90, introduced in 1992, served as the UK’s primary 155mm artillery platform and saw operational use in Iraq in 2003.
Earlier, in September 2024, the UK announced plans to exceed its initial pledge of 12 AS-90 howitzers, confirming that 10 had already been delivered to Ukraine, with six more expected in the following weeks, according to the British Ministry of Defense.
