Ukraine will receive 200 new "Marta" self-propelled artillery systems in 2027, built on Mercedes-Benz Zetros chassis ordered by Germany, according to a representative of the Kramatorsk Heavy Machine Tool Building Plant who spoke to the outlet Oboronka.
The representative said the production deal, worth 750 million euros, was signed in late 2025. The vehicles will be built on German chassis that are being supplied to Ukraine as part of military aid.
Why the new gun is needed
The representative said the new self-propelled gun is meant to replace all Western 155mm short-barrel artillery currently in Ukrainian service, arguing that the Western systems are now impossible to maintain properly and cost a great deal to keep running. It is also intended to replace what remains of the less accurate and shorter-range Soviet-era systems in 122mm and 152mm calibers.
The representative did not say whether the replacement plan covers only the Western and Soviet self-propelled guns or Ukraine's artillery fleet as a whole.
A deal held up by lobbying
The representative described the process of securing the contract as difficult, saying lobbying efforts had not gone away and that companies in Germany had wanted to supply the howitzers on their own. He said the Ukrainian side had overcome many obstacles, both domestic and international, to get the deal signed, and that the outcome had been helped by the simplicity of their howitzer, its affordable price and the ability to produce it at scale.
Plans for a short-barrel version of the "Bohdana" self-propelled gun, with a barrel length of 39 calibers, first became known in September 2024. The Bohdana is Ukraine's domestically built self-propelled howitzer, produced at the Kramatorsk plant and used extensively by Ukrainian forces since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Wider German-Ukrainian military cooperation
The report on the Marta artillery deal comes alongside other recent developments in German-Ukrainian defense ties. Military experts have suggested that German-made Skyranger 35 anti-aircraft systems have already been protecting Ukrainian skies for some time, after Ukraine's 1020th Anti-Aircraft Missile and Artillery Regiment released the first official footage of the system, showing it striking an aerial target. Experts said the public release of the footage indicates a number of Skyranger 35 units had been transferred to Ukraine quietly, without prior disclosure.
Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz a Russian strike on an airfield in Leipzig, as well as an agreement to strengthen air defense capabilities for both countries. Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to help Germany with expertise and experience where needed, adding that teams were finalizing the text of a so-called Drone Deal intended to boost defensive capabilities for both nations.
