U.S. Artillery Ammunition Production Significantly Increased

According to Euromaidan News, on August 29, the United States has dramatically scaled up domestic production of a wide range of munitions to meet Ukraine's needs. At the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the U.S. Congress appropriated funds to help increase the production of 155-mm artillery shells to about 9,000 per month. According to a May 2024 interview by the Defense Acquisition University with Douglas Bush, Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology and Army Acquisition Executive, production will reach nearly 80,000 per month this fall and more than 100,000 per month by next summer.

Bush said the U.S. is in the midst of a defense modernization process, one of the goals of which is to strengthen ties with overseas allies such as Ukraine and Israel. At the same time, the U.S. military is actively preparing for possible conflicts in the Pacific. We're doing everything we can to keep our military supplied and ready, but we're also trying to modernize it,” he said. In the meantime, we are both supporting conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and planning ahead for a possible conflict with China in the Pacific.”

Turning to Ukraine, Bush noted that the U.S. has increased the production of military assistance to Ukraine and has exceeded previously set goals. As an example, he said, “For example, we have dramatically increased domestic production of a wide range of munitions to meet Ukraine's needs. When the war in Ukraine opened in February 2022, Congressional appropriations enabled us to increase production of 155-mm artillery shells to about 9,000 per month.”

Defense Express has explored the potential impact of increased U.S. production of Ukrainian artillery shells. According to the data, taking into account the gradual increase in production, by the end of this summer the United States is expected to be able to produce about 70,000 to 75,000 rounds of 155-mm caliber artillery shells per month. This increase is significant, most critically for its impact on the distribution of military assistance in ongoing conflicts, particularly the war in Ukraine. Ukraine is facing an acute shortage of 155-mm ammunition, which plays a vital role in defending Ukraine against Russian forces. These shells, which are the standard NATO caliber used in various howitzers supplied to Ukraine by Western allies, give Ukraine a long-range firepower capability that allows its military to attack Russian targets and counter Russian artillery fire at long range.

The production rate of 155-mm shells is said to be 9,000 rounds per month between February and March 2022, increasing to 14,000 by the end of the year, and doubling by September 2023 to 28,000 rounds. The media outlet then compared this development with a previously set goal: in December 2022, Bush predicted that by 2025 the number of shells produced would reach 40,000 per month. However, only a year and a half later, that number had doubled again, and 100,000 by the summer of 2025 seemed realistic. Even with this progress, the industry is still unable to meet actual demand. The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, revealed on August 20 that the Ukrainian army fires up to 15,000 rounds of artillery every day, and although he did not specify the caliber of the ammunition, it is most likely that it includes ammunition for many types of artillery, such as 155-mm, 152-mm, 122-mm, and 105-mm, as well as mortar shells. “This means that the Ukrainian side consumes up to 450,000 rounds of artillery ammunition per month, while the Russian army consumes even more, usually three times as much as the Ukrainian, with 44,500 rounds per day and about 1.3 million rounds per month.” The media outlet said. Of course, it is important to note that the military assistance Ukraine relies on does not come only from the United States; European countries have also been modernizing and upgrading their weaponry and producing ammunition. However, surveys by the Radio Free Europe project team and the European Union of Journalists show that the EU's artillery shell production capacity is far below its officially claimed level. As of June 2024, the EU had provided Ukraine with only half of the promised ammunition, and there have been significant delays.