Is motorisation set to be the next evolution of towed artillery?
The MKE Uran, unveiled at SAHA 2026, is intended to provide a mobile fires platform. (Photo: author)
Artillery remains a key tool on the modern battlefield. Artillery platforms, however, are increasingly at risk from enemy fire, whether from other artillery or uncrewed aerial systems (UAS). Consequently, there is a need for ever more mobile platforms, capable of performing shoot-and-scoot operations.
This poses a particular danger to towed platforms. Lacking a means of self-propulsion, they risk being detected and destroyed within seconds of opening fire. Given that towed platforms still account for the majority of artillery worldwide, the question then becomes how they can remain effective in the years ahead.
In Ukraine, one solution has been the use
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Land Warfare
-
FIA 2026: MBDA launches low-cost interceptor for short-range air defence
At FIA 2026, MBDA launched its Counter Mass Interceptor (CMI) which the company says is a mass-producible, low-cost effector for fire-and-forget engagements at range and altitude.
-
US Army’s future autonomous launcher nears next phase with awards expected in August
The Common Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher (CAML) is the US Army’s main effort to provide an autonomous or optionally crewed missile launcher, with more details revealed at a CSIS webinar discussion this week.
-
“No single technology is enough”: why an integrated approach to uncrewed warfare is essential
In Conversation… Ahmet Akyol, CEO of ASELSAN, talks to Shephard’s Gerrard Cowan about how the rapid evolution of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) is transforming the battlespace, with militaries focused on both deploying these platforms to maximum effect and developing the defensive systems needed to counter them.
-
Lasers heat up for counter-drone option as DroneLight tackles the big question
Using lasers to defeat drones promises to solve the dilemma of using expensive kinetic effects to kill platforms worth a few hundred dollars. While maintaining thermal output to provide the effects can be a technical hurdle, Israel’s Esh-Tech is one company working on a solution.