Finland grants Estonia license to export D-30 Howitzer to Ukraine

The Finnish government has granted Estonia a license to re-export D-30 towed howitzers to Ukraine.

The grant includes ammunition. The number of guns to be exported was not revealed.

Delivery Announced in April 2022

Estonia announced the delivery of the Soviet gun to Ukraine as part of a weapons package worth 220 million euros ($235 million) in April 2022.

Estonia bought 42 D-30s from Finland in 2009, which had purchased them from Germany.

Tallinn requested Berlin to allow the artillery to be sent to Ukraine in January 2022, as required by the export agreement.

Germany granted the permission a month and a half after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, according to Mezha.

Features

The 1960s-era gun is operational in over 60 countries, including Ukraine, Russia, and China.

The three-ton gun can strike a target as far as 22 kilometers (13.6 miles) away with an active jet projectile. It has a maximum rate of fire of 12 rounds per minute.

Latest Arms Package For Ukraine

The recent development comes months after Estonia announced a weapons package worth 113 million euros ($122 million) for Ukraine, including all its 155-millimeter howitzers.

Estonia operates 24 NATO standard 155mm FH-70 towed howitzers.

The package also included 155-mm artillery shells and hundreds of Carl-Gustaf anti-tank rifles.