US Army eyes sixfold production boost of 155mm shells used in Ukraine (2024)

FAQs

US Army eyes sixfold production boost of 155mm shells used in Ukraine? ›

The new supplemental renews the push to boost production sixfold since Russia's Ukraine invasion. The U.S. Army is on a path to triple its monthly production of 155mm shells following the passage of the Ukraine supplemental, its vice chief of staff said today.

The U.S. is currently producing approximately 28,000 155 mm rounds per month, with a ramp-up plan to produce 70,000-80,000 rounds per month by the end of 2024, Pentagon spokesperson Jeff Jurgensen told VOA.

Overall, Rheinmetall, which also acquired Spanish ammunition company Expal last year and even hopes to build new plants in Ukraine, has said it aims to produce 700,000 155mm shells per year by 2025.

The Army and Marine Corps have 155mm artillery projectiles (M483/M483A1 and M864) containing about 402 million Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munition (DPICM) submunitions.

A common M795 155m high explosive howitzer shell will generally have a 'kill radius' of 50m, with fragmentation spreading significantly further. Tube artillery guns are typically used to provide indirect fire support for armour and infantry forces over long distances.

Among their many contributions to Ukraine, Allies and partners have delivered 10 long-range Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), 178 long-range artillery systems, nearly 100,000 rounds of long-range artillery ammunition, nearly 250,000 anti-tank munitions, 359 tanks, 629 armored personnel carriers and infantry ...

The average cost for a 155mm shell is around $5,000, Salm said. The U.S. M795 high explosive shell, the most basic type of 155mm shell, costs around $3,000, according to an Army spokesperson.

The top ammunition companies in the market include Nammo AS, General Dynamics Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Rheinmetall AG, BAE Systems PLC, Sierra Bullets, Nosler Inc., Hornady Manufacturing, Inc., CBC Global Ammunition, and RUAG Ammotec.

Estimates put South Korea's annual production rate at around 200,000 155 mm shells per year. Ukraine's armed forces, about the same size as South Korea's, fire that many projectiles in a month of heavy fighting.

Ammunition isn't a perishable good - if stored correctly, it can last almost indefinitely.

How many 155 cluster shells does the U.S. have? ›

The USA has over 4 million rounds of 155 mm cluster munitions that were slated for disposal. Since Russia is using cluster munitions, Ukraine needs 155 mm rounds and has requested cluster, why not give unwanted but highly effective munitions?

A 155 or 152mm shell actually hitting a tank, steel on steel, absolutely has the ability to destroy a tank. However, "destroy" in military terms means "combat ineffective until reconstituted." Destroyed vehicles can be categorized as mobility kills, firepower kills, both of those together, and catastrophic kills.

Each round is about 2 feet (60 centimeters) long, weighs about 100 pounds (45 kilograms), and is 155 mm, or 6.1 inches, in diameter. They are used in howitzer systems, which are towed large guns that are identified by the range of the angle of fire that their barrels can be set to.

Bush said at CSIS that each 155mm shell contains 22 pounds of explosives.

U.S. companies are currently producing about 30,000 shells a month, and the Army hopes to increase that tally to 60,000 rounds per month by September 2024, and to 100,000 rounds per month by the end of 2025.

The U.S. Army employs five types of field artillery weapon systems: M119A3 105mm light towed howitzer. M777A2 155mm medium towed howitzer. M109A7 Paladin 155mm self-propelled howitzer.

They are defined by their use of the M109A6 (or new M109A7) Paladin 155mm self-propelled howitzers. Each battery consists of a Battery Headquarters, Supply Section, Ammunition Section, and 2 Firing Platoons for a total of 6 guns.