Profile
- Type
- 105 mm towed light howitzer
- Conflict side
- Ukraine
- Origin
- United Kingdom
- Service note
- 1970s-present
Artillery
L118 Light Gun
The L118 Light Gun is a British 105 mm towed artillery system built for mobile field artillery, airborne movement, and rapid emplacement. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Ukraine's directly sourced combat context is tied to the L119 variant of the same light-gun family, supplied by the United Kingdom and supported by allied training and maintenance.
- Conflict side
- Ukraine
- Built by
- BAE Systems
- Built in
- United Kingdom
Service History
- In service
- British Army service from the 1970s; L119 variant supplied to Ukraine during the full-scale Russian invasion
- Used by
- British Army, Ukrainian Armed Forces
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- Royal Armament Research and Development Establishment
- Designed
- 1960s-1970s
- Built by
- BAE Systems
- Built in
- United Kingdom
- Unit cost
- Not publicly standardized
- Produced
- 1970s onward
- Number built
- More than 1,100 L118-family guns reported by open references
- Variants
- L118, L119, M119
Specifications
- Caliber
- 105 mm
- Crew
- Six
- Combat weight
- 1,858 kg
- Dimensions
- 8.8 m long, 1.78 m wide, 2.13 m high
- Maximum range
- 17.2 km with HE ammunition
- Rate of fire
- 6-8 rounds per minute
- Mobility
- Towed by medium-weight vehicles or carried underslung by Chinook helicopter
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: Ukraine
Ukrainian forces operate UK-donated L119 light guns, the M1-ammunition variant of the L118 Light Gun family, with in-country repair support arranged during the war.
Related Weapon Systems
M101 105 mm Howitzer105 mm towed field howitzerThe M101 is a U.S.-origin 105 mm towed field howitzer whose low weight, standard 105 mm ammunition, and simple split-trail carriage kept it useful long after World War II. In Ukraine, Lithuanian-donated M101A1 guns provide shorter-range tube artillery for infantry fire support where mobility, available ammunition, and survivable dispersed gun positions matter more than modern 155 mm range.
M119105 mm lightweight towed howitzerThe M119 is the U.S. 105 mm lightweight towed howitzer derived from the British L119 light gun and built around air-mobile infantry fire support. The M119A3 variant adds digital fire control, self-location, and communications upgrades while retaining a light carriage that can be moved by trucks, cargo aircraft, or helicopter. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Ukrainian forces received 105 mm howitzers and were documented training on American M119A3 guns to add a mobile, NATO-standard light artillery option alongside heavier 155 mm systems.
FH70155 mm towed howitzerThe FH70 is a jointly developed British-West German-Italian 155 mm L/39 towed howitzer with an auxiliary power unit for limited self-movement. In Ukrainian service it added another NATO-standard tube-artillery option alongside M777 and CAESAR systems, giving Ukrainian artillery units a 155 mm platform documented at the front from 2022.
MO-120 RT120 mm rifled towed heavy mortarThe MO-120 RT is a French 120 mm rifled towed heavy mortar developed by Brandt and later associated with TDA/Thales production. Its rifled barrel, two-wheel carriage, and rocket-assisted ammunition option give it longer range than many smoothbore infantry mortars, while remaining towable by light or medium vehicles. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Ukrainian forces received Belgian MO-120 RT mortars and used the type for front-line indirect fire support.
OTO Melara Mod 56105 mm towed pack howitzerThe OTO Melara Mod 56 is an Italian 105 mm pack howitzer built for light and mountain artillery, combining a low towing weight with a design that can be broken down into transportable loads. In the Russia-Ukraine War it appears as a Spanish-supplied light artillery system for Ukrainian forces, trading range and shell weight for mobility and compatibility with 105 mm artillery ammunition.
Zuzana 2155 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzerZuzana 2 is a Slovak 155 mm/52-caliber wheeled self-propelled howitzer built around an automated loading system and a Tatra 8x8 chassis. Its NATO-standard ammunition, long-range indirect-fire role, and documented deliveries to Ukraine make it part of the Western artillery support package used to strengthen Ukrainian tube artillery in the Russia-Ukraine War.Sources
L118 Light GunPublisher: British Army | Note: Official British Army equipment page supporting L118 role, dimensions, ammunition, range, crew, weight, mobility, and BAE Systems manufacturer attribution. | Accessed: 2026-06-20BAE Systems awarded contract to maintain and repair light guns in UkrainePublisher: BAE Systems | Note: Documents UK-donated L119 Light Guns in Ukrainian service and in-country repair support during the Russia-Ukraine War; L119 is the NATO/M1-ammunition variant of the L118 Light Gun family. | Accessed: 2026-06-20NZ to provide additional deployment to support UkrainePublisher: New Zealand Government | Note: Direct Russia-Ukraine War support source documenting training that enabled Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel to operate L119 105 mm light field guns. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Ukraine to Get 105 mm L118 Howitzers, Comparison And SpecificationPublisher: Defense Express | Note: Ukrainian defense reporting from June 2022 connecting planned Ukrainian 105 mm light-gun training and ammunition support to the L118/L119 light-gun context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Commandos preparing to fire a L118 light gun during Exercise HeiktilaPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image page identifies the photographed system as an L118 light gun and lists MOD/Crown Copyright provenance under the Open Government Licence v1.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20