Patent for New Ukrainian Howitzer Bohdana 6.0 Registered

On Wednesday, July 2, 2025, military blogger Andrei_bt was the first to publish concept renderings of the new 155 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer designated as Bohdana 6.0, for which a patent was granted to the Ukrainian Kramatorsk Heavy Machinery Building Plant (Ukr. Kramatorskyi Zavod Vazhkoho Verstatobuduvannia).

Grafiki: Kramatorskie Zakłady Budowy Ciężkich Maszyn

According to available information, the international patent, filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT; fr. Traité de coopération sur les brevets), covers both the 155 mm NATO-caliber howitzer module itself, which can be integrated with various platforms, and the complete artillery system mounted on an 8×8 wheeled chassis featuring a four-person armored cabin.

The 2S22 Bohdana has so far been developed in the following variants:

• The 28-ton Bohdana 1.0 on a KrAZ-6322 6×6 chassis from the AutoKrAZ company in Kremenchuk was unveiled in 2018. It featured an unarmored cabin and a manual loading system, with a range of up to 40 km using standard 155 mm ammunition. This was Ukraine’s first NATO-caliber howitzer, tested between 2019 and 2022. On May 6, 2022, the gun made its combat debut. On June 30, then-Chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, acknowledged that the 2S22 Bohdana played an important role in the liberation of Snake Island.
• Bohdana 2.0 on a MAZ-6317 6×6 chassis, produced under license as the Bogdan-6317 and introduced after Russia’s invasion in 2022. It featured an armored cabin borrowed from the RKP-360 command vehicles used in the Neptune missile system. This variant was developed in response to the unavailability of KrAZ chassis after the company went bankrupt. The system still relied on manual loading of ammunition.
• Bohdana 3.0 on a Czech Tatra T815-7T3RC1 8×8 chassis with a Puma armored cabin. Introduced in 2023, the Puma cabin provides better crew protection, while the Tatra chassis improves mobility and reliability. This version is considered more advanced, with an upgraded fire control system. Some units were fitted with additional anti-drone shielding.
• Bohdana 4.0 on a Czech Tatra T815-7 or Tatra Phoenix 8×8 chassis. This version uses an armored cabin produced by the Ukrainian company Ukrainian Armor, reducing dependence on Czech suppliers. It features a semi-automatic loading system that eases crew workload, as well as a deployable anti-drone shield. It is capable of firing precision-guided M982 Excalibur rounds. Production began in 2023 and continues to evolve.
• Bohdana 5.0 (working name) on a Czech Tatra chassis (likely the Phoenix 8×8). The latest version was presented in 2025 by the 44th Independent Artillery Brigade. It is equipped with a newly designed armored cabin produced in Ukraine, featuring several modifications over the 4.0 version (e.g., removal of lights above the windows, redesigned heat dissipation system). This variant addresses long lead times and high costs associated with Czech-made Puma cabins. Further “Ukrainization” of components was implemented, increasing local production content to over 85%.
• 2P22 Bohdana-BG is a prototype of a towed variant with a 155 mm barrel mounted on the carriage of the 2A36 Giatsint-B gun. The prototype was unveiled on October 3, 2024. In March of this year, the 47th Artillery Brigade released photos of it in use.

№2 pic.twitter.com/peL9TnHWdC

— Andrei_bt (@AndreiBtvt) July 2, 2025