2014 Russia-Ukraine War

Vulcano-GLR in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

Germany listed Vulcano precision 155 mm ammunition and related fire-control equipment among its military aid to Ukraine, while Ukraine-focused reporting and footage show the wider Vulcano 155 family entering Ukrainian artillery service.

Weapon profileVulcano-GLR
SideUkraineRoleFire SupportLong-Range StrikeTraining & Foreign Aid
Vulcano-GLR, guided long-range artillery and naval gun ammunition, Munitions - 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Image source: Leonardo Electronics US: Vulcano ammunition

Evidence Map

ClaimSources
Germany listed VULCANO 155 mm precision ammunition and related target-designation/fire-control equipment among military support for Ukraine.

Sources: Bundesregierung Ukraine Military Support List

Ukraine-focused aid tracking lists 255 Vulcano 155 mm artillery rounds as delivered.

Sources: GAU Vulcano 155mm Delivered Footage

Ukrinform reported in August 2022 that Germany planned to provide 255 155 mm Vulcano projectiles to Ukraine.

Sources: Ukrinform Germany Vulcano Projectiles

Video reported in September 2023 showed Ukrainian personnel firing Vulcano 155 mm ammunition from a PzH 2000; the visible ammunition was identified as BER rather than GLR.

Sources: Defense Express Vulcano PzH 2000 Footage

The GLR 155 mm configuration is the guided long-range Vulcano variant, with IMU/GPS guidance and optional semi-active laser terminal homing.

Sources: Leonardo Electronics US Vulcano Ammunition

Timeline

Vulcano-GLR In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War

  1. German aid reporting lists 255 Vulcano projectiles

    Ukrinform reported that Germany's planned military aid to Ukraine included 255 155 mm Vulcano projectiles.

    Sources: Ukrinform Germany Vulcano Projectiles

  2. Likely first-delivery window begins

    German Aid to Ukraine later assessed that the first 255 Vulcano 155 rounds were likely delivered from around March 2023, after the August 2022 order.

    Sources: GAU Special Artillery Ammunition

  3. Ukrainian PzH 2000 firing report appears

    Defense Express reported that video showed Ukrainian personnel using a PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer to fire Vulcano 155 mm ammunition; the article identified the visible ammunition as BER and discussed GLR evidence separately.

    Sources: Defense Express Vulcano PzH 2000 Footage

  4. Follow-on reporting describes small-scale Vulcano use

    German Aid to Ukraine wrote that Ukraine had used small quantities of VULCANO 155 shells against the Russian army and described the earlier 255-round delivery as having included different versions.

    Sources: GAU Special Artillery Ammunition

Documented Use

Direct proof of use

Vulcano-GLR is documented in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through German military-aid records and Ukraine-focused delivery tracking. The German government's Ukraine aid list includes 155 mm precision ammunition identified as SMArt and VULCANO, plus laser target designators and portable fire-control modules for VULCANO artillery ammunition. German Aid to Ukraine separately lists 255 Vulcano 155 mm artillery rounds as delivered.

Public battlefield evidence is more specific to the broader Vulcano 155 family than to every GLR configuration. Defense Express reported in September 2023 that video showed Ukrainian personnel firing Vulcano 155 mm rounds from a German-supplied PzH 2000; the same article identified the visible round as the BER variant and treated Ukrainian possession of the GLR variant as likely because Germany also supplied VULCANO laser-designation and fire-control equipment.

Sources: Bundesregierung Ukraine Military Support List, GAU Vulcano 155mm Delivered Footage, Defense Express Vulcano PzH 2000 Footage

Transfer and fielding timeline

Germany first publicly associated the Ukraine package with 255 155 mm Vulcano projectiles in August 2022. Ukrinform, citing the German government list, reported that the planned aid included those projectiles during the full-scale phase of the war.

By 2023, Ukraine-linked open-source reporting placed Vulcano 155 ammunition in Ukrainian artillery use. German Aid to Ukraine says the 255-round delivery occurred between early and mid-2023, and Defense Express reported video of a Ukrainian PzH 2000 firing Vulcano ammunition in September 2023.

Sources: Ukrinform Germany Vulcano Projectiles, GAU Special Artillery Ammunition, Defense Express Vulcano PzH 2000 Footage

Battlefield role

In Ukrainian service, Vulcano 155 ammunition belonged to the 155 mm artillery aid lane rather than a separate launcher system. The relevant firing platforms were Western 155 mm howitzers already supplied to Ukraine, including the PzH 2000 shown in the public firing report. Leonardo describes the 155 mm GLR configuration as a guided long-range projectile for 155/52- and 155/39-caliber howitzers with IMU/GPS guidance and optional semi-active laser terminal homing.

The sourced record supports transfer, delivery, and fielding of Vulcano 155 ammunition by Ukraine. It also supports that Ukraine used Vulcano 155 rounds against Russian forces, while the clearest public firing report identifies the visible round as BER. Claims about specific GLR strike dates, target locations, or battle-damage results are therefore not treated as established in this record.

Sources: Defense Express Vulcano PzH 2000 Footage, Leonardo Electronics US Vulcano Ammunition, GAU Special Artillery Ammunition

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Sources