The Bogdana, which can be mounted on various truck chassis, is the first Ukrainian artillery piece produced in 155 mm calibre to NATO standards.
Poulsen made his remarks on 14 September during the 20th annual Yalta European Strategy (YES) meeting in Kiev.
The minister added that producing weapons domestically in Ukraine is cheaper and more efficient than in the West, and urged other European countries to do the same. Kiev is trying to convince allied countries to donate weapons to the Ukrainian army through direct purchases from Ukrainian companies, as Kiev's defense budget does not match the country's weapons production capabilities.
A self-propelled howitzer can get into position, fire a few rounds in less than a minute and be out of range of counterfire before the enemy has had time to organise itself, giving it a speed advantage over artillery units that move in tow.
Under development for years before the full-scale invasion began, the Bogdana was first used in combat in the summer of 2022, shelling Russian positions on the Black Sea island of Zmiysky.
The order for the 18 Bogdana artillery units was placed in July this year.
In July, the Ministry of Strategic Industries reported that foreign partners have so far pledged to invest about $675 million in the Ukrainian defense industry to arm Kiev's forces. | BGNES
