By Jim Morris, Warrior Vice President, News
The German defense giant Rheinmetall has signed the largest contract in its history – a deal with the Bundeswehr worth up to $9.1 billion to make 155mm artillery ammunition, some of which will be going to Ukraine.
The agreement expands an existing framework contract with the German army. Deliveries are set to begin early next year and will replenish ammunition supplies of Germany and several allies – the Netherlands, Estonia and Denmark.
The US and European Union countries have been sending 155mm shells to Ukraine from their own stocks since the Russian invasion in 2022. Under the EU plan, European countries were first to supply shells from their own arsenals. Next, they were to buy the ammunition from local suppliers.
Still, observers say there’s been a shell gap between Ukraine and Russia. Earlier this year, the Washington Post reported, one artillery platoon in eastern Ukraine that used to fire 20 to 30 rounds a day from its howitzer was down to shooting one to two shells daily, a fraction of those fired by Russian forces.
Last month, the Pentagon moved to close that gap by opening a factory outside Dallas. The Universal Artillery Projectile Lines facility will produce 30,000 artillery shells a month, ranging from 155mm ammunition to mortar shells. Added to current production, that will allow the Defense Department to reach its goal of 100,000 shells per month – almost ten times more than were being produced just a few years ago.
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Last week at the Eurosatory defense show in Paris, Northrop Grumman said it plans to begin making ammunition in Ukraine.
“We’ve been working, as you know, in Ukraine to produce medium (caliber ammunition). That’s out first project that’s paid for with Ukrainian dollars,” said Dave Bartell, an executive with Northrop’s defense systems unit. “We are looking to expand that into tank ammo, 155mm, others as we find innovative processes.”
Rheinmetall’s deal will add to Ukrainian stocks, too. It will also ensure the capacity utilization of the company’s new factory that’s being built in Lower Saxony.
The announcement capped off a big week for Rheinmetall. At Eurosatory, the company showed the fruits of its joint collaboration with Lockheed Grumman – the Global Mobile Artillery Rocket System (GMARS). It’s a marriage of Rheinmetall’s HX 8 x 8 truck and Lockheed’s two-pod multiple rocket launchers.
GMARS has been described as HIMARS, the Lockheed-built High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, with more firepower. The US has supplied Ukraine with more than three dozen HIMARS, and the weapon has proven itself effective against Russian troops, command centers and supply centers.
In Paris, Rheinmetall also unveiled the prototype of its KF51-U tank, which comes with an unmanned turret. The three-member crew would sit side-by-side in the protected hull, while an automatic loader would provide 25 rounds for the 130mm main gun.
The tank’s commander would use a remotely controlled combat module, which includes an RMG762 machine gun.
The KF51-U is a step along the road to what’s been called the tank of the future – a joint project between Germany and France to build a next-generation armored vehicle that will use drones, artificial intelligence and lasers to change the shape of the battlefield.
The project has been hampered by delays and disagreements. The two countries agreed in April on how to split up the work, but it’s likely to be years before the next-gen tank goes into service.
