Questions - 155mm Ammunition
More 155mm related questions arising from the surge in demand for artillery ammunition
I realise that I have posted on 155mm artillery on numerous occasions, so with apologies for some repetition I offer the following post. Please circulate to anyone who may be have an interest and please respond with any comments to -PaulHough@Alteriusrei.com - .
If you will forgive the pun the hottest item of the war in Ukraine is 155mm artillery. Who would have thought that this stalwart of large scale land battles would head the must have list for the Ukrainian army above technology trend setters such as drones, sensors and cyber. It turns out that in order to succeed an Army needs more than data; it must have the capability to inflict casualties and degrade the enemy’s materiel. Hence the apparently sudden realisation in NATO that it would be a good idea to have an artillery capability that benefits from significant stockpiles and a resilient industrial base that, in turn, has the capacity to sustain the fight. Unfortunately it is becoming apparent that NATO especially the European members lack such a capability and apear to be rushing to establish it.
As with many announcements around the war in Ukraine the details of the EU’s promise to deliver one million 155mm rounds to Ukraine by sometime in the first quarter of 2024 were opaque to say the least. In the first instance were the deliveries from stock or new manufacture. It is reasonable to say that a significant element would need to be new manufacture and that would need to continue at a high rate to replace stock transferred to Ukraine and increase stockpile to support a credible deterrent to future Russian aggression.
They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing although I suggest that a little knowledge is helpful to pose questions. With apologies for repetition of points raised in previous posts I offer some questions relating to the 155mm ordnance and ammunition. In no particular order.
How is the ammunition supplied to Ukraine being matched to the ordnance for which it is qualified? Note – prior to the war Joint Ballistic Memorandum of Understanding (JBMoU) compliance did not make ammunition interoperable.
Have there been range and accuracy firings across the various ordnance configurations?
Has there been a step forward to establishing interoperability?
Given the rate of fire in Ukraine, how are the barrels wearing? What industrial capacity is being planned to replenish the worn barrels and supply new systems on order.
How can the EU achieve a capacity of one million 155mm rounds?
Which rounds are in that figure – German, French, Norwegian?
How is the one million split between High Explosive and other natures?
Where is the steel coming from? Do each of those rounds use the same grade of steel?
Where is the explosive coming from? Has the insensitive munition fad faded away?
Where are the fuzes being manufactured?
Where will the propellant be made?
Where are all the rounds to be manufactured? The USA has increased manufacture to 90,000 rounds per month which equates to roughly 1m per year. France one of the major producers in Europe has announced a tripling of production capacity to 3000, rounds per month.
Who is making the other 87,000?
Who has the EDA signed the 60 framework contracts with?
Are they all for High Explosive projectiles?
How will the recently announced Artillery for Ukraine coalition led by USA and France work?
Is NATO missing an opportunity to drive towards commonality? Is it deferring to commercial interests?
What artillery capability does the UK have?
Is AS90 still in service?
When was the last procurement of L15 HE projectiles?
What ammunition does UK have for the Archer systems acquired from Sweden? Are there sufficient Archer systems and ammunition for a meaningful British force?
If the UK persists with Archer and its 25 litre chamber is there a danger that as with the 40mm CTWS it will be one of two users?
Will the there be a specific charge system for Archer?
Are the charges recently contracted with Hanwha qualified in AS90 and Archer?
Are the timeframes for the Mobile Fire Platform (MFP) programme meaningful? If the British Army is to engage in a major land campaign with NATO allies before 2030, should a more rapid path to capability be identified?
Is it intended to develop yet another 155mm round for MFP? If so how will that round be qualified if the ordnance is not fixed? For those with long memories shades of ERO / MCS the programme that closed the UK’s propellant manufacturing facility and then was itself cancelled.
I could go on, which would not be interesting for the reader (assuming there is a level of interest in these questions, which itself may be a leap) or healthy for me. As I mentioned in the ‘health warning’ above these questions are based on observations from a distance. I am sure there are reasonable answers to all of them as able people will be working on the 155mm challenge every day. It would be helpful if an outline of the master plan was shared as it would not only increase public confidence and optimism but also add to the credibility of the deterrent.