The Russian Defense Ministry has released a new video showing the destruction of a US-made M777 howitzer in Ukraine. The artillery piece was taken down by a Lancet loitering munition, the military said on Saturday.
The howitzer was discovered during redeployment in Ukraine’s Kharkov Region. Infrared drone footage released by the ministry shows the artillery piece getting towed by a truck, with an apparent escort vehicle seen traveling ahead of the consignment.
The M777 ended up hit by the Lancet as it reached a wooded area outside of a village. Drone footage shows a large blaze and secondary detonations at the site, suggesting the artillery piece and its ammo stock were destroyed.
US-made 155mm NATO-caliber M777 howitzers have become one of the main medium-to-long range artillery tools in the Ukrainian arsenal, with at least 200 pieces delivered to Kiev by its Western backers. A vast majority of the howitzers have been provided by Washington, with a small number supplied by its allies, including Canada and Australia.
More than 100 units of the type have been destroyed by Russian forces during the hostilities, with the systems repeatedly ending up hit by Lancet-family drones at their firing positions, as well as falling victim to other means of counter-battery warfare, including aerial, missile and artillery strikes.