2014 Russia-Ukraine War

BONUS 155 mm top-attack submunition projectile in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

Ukrainian forces have used BONUS 155 mm sensor-fuzed artillery ammunition against Russian armor, with early submunition imagery documented in January 2023 and RUSI later describing a five-round engagement against a Russian tank platoon.

Weapon profileBONUS 155 mm top-attack submunition projectile
SideUkraineRoleAnti-ArmorFire Support
BONUS 155 mm top-attack submunition projectile, 155 mm artillery-launched, fire-and-forget anti-armor munition, Munitions - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: File:BONUS 155 mm.jpg

Timeline

BONUS 155 mm top-attack submunition projectile In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. BONUS submunition imagery appears from Ukraine

    Photos of a recovered 155 mm BONUS submunition circulated from a Russian-language channel; The Armourer's Bench identified the munition and noted the claimed Donetsk-region context.

    Sources: Top Attack 155 BONUS In Ukraine

  2. RUSI reports Ukrainian BONUS anti-armor engagement

    RUSI reported a Ukrainian fires officer's account of firing five BONUS shells at a Russian tank platoon after drone detection, knocking out three tanks within two minutes.

    Sources: Tactical Developments During the Third Year of the Russo-Ukrainian War

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

BONUS appears in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War record through both recovered-munition imagery and later reporting on Ukrainian fire missions. The Armourer's Bench identified photos shared on January 4, 2023 as 155 mm BONUS submunitions and noted that the Russian-language source placed the find in Donetsk region.

RUSI later described a Ukrainian fires officer engaging a maneuvering Russian tank platoon after locating it with a drone. In that account, the officer fired five BONUS shells and knocked out all three tanks within two minutes.

Sources: Top Attack 155 BONUS In Ukraine, Tactical Developments During the Third Year of the Russo-Ukrainian War

Timeline

The first cataloged milestone is January 2023, when identifiable BONUS submunition imagery from Ukraine was published and analyzed. That evidence supports Ukrainian theater presence but does not by itself identify the firing unit or exact launch platform.

By RUSI's February 2025 tactical report, Ukrainian officers were describing BONUS as a scarce specialized 155 mm munition used for anti-armor fires, including the reported five-shell engagement against three Russian tanks.

Sources: Top Attack 155 BONUS In Ukraine, Tactical Developments During the Third Year of the Russo-Ukrainian War

Narrative

In Ukrainian service, BONUS is documented as a 155 mm artillery-launched anti-armor munition rather than a general high-explosive shell. BAE Systems describes the carrier projectile as deploying two sensor-fuzed munitions that search a footprint of up to 32,000 square meters, giving the round a specific role against armored vehicles.

The documented combat use fits that role. The Armourer's Bench identified a salvaged submunition marked as a French BONUS component, while RUSI's field reporting placed BONUS in a Ukrainian artillery engagement against Russian tanks. RUSI also emphasized scarcity: Ukrainian units had only occasional access to BONUS and other specialized artillery ammunition, so the round appears as a limited anti-armor capability within a much larger artillery war.

Sources: Bofors 155mm BONUS munition, Top Attack 155 BONUS In Ukraine, Tactical Developments During the Third Year of the Russo-Ukrainian War

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Sources