About a month ago, Latvia donated six M109A5Ö self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine. Weapons that had previously been in the inventory of the Austrian Armed Forces for decades. These howitzers are already in action at the front, as a newly surfaced video shows (see above).
The former Austrian cannon can be recognized in the video by the characteristic smoke extractor, also called “bore evacuator”, behind the center of the barrel. It is not known when the video was made, but a shot can be seen.
Sold cheaply to Latvia
The army’s six M109A5Ös reached the Ukrainian battlefield just over a month ago after being sold to Latvia in 2017. Better: wasted. According to reports, only a tenth of the amount put into the extension before the sale, for a total of 47 M109s. At the time, the deal had a volume of about six million euros and Latvian artillerymen had previously been trained in Austria.
Neutrality no problem
A request from the “Krone” to the Latvian embassy in August showed that the deal was legally justified at the time. The Austrian end-user certificates were set aside, Latvia itself concluded new ones with the production country Great Britain. Since Latvia was not and is not a belligerent nation, and despite the annexation of Crimea, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was not yet expected, Austria’s neutrality is not affected. Only the low selling price – see above – still irritates experts.
Only a few artillery left in Austria
The howitzers exported to Latvia at the time were 155mm M109A5Ö self-propelled howitzers, M109 data center tanks and M109 driving school tanks, six of which – presumably M109A5Ö – are now deployed on the Ukrainian front. In Austria artillery has been gradually reduced in recent years and about 50 self-propelled howitzers are still in stock in this country.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
