NATO country orders 300 million euros worth of Rheinmetall artillery shells
One of the NATO member countries has ordered the supply of artillery munitions from the German defense company Rheinmetall, citing the Rheinmetall press service.
According to the company, the order includes several tens of thousands of artillery shells and several hundred thousand propellant charge modules. The total order value is nearly 300 million euros. Deliveries will take place from 2024 to 2028.
"The need to replenish the armed forces' ammunition stocks resulting from the war in Ukraine has brought Rheinmetall major orders in the field of artillery ammunition," the company said.
They also said that the new orders once again emphasize Rheinmetall's leading technological position in the development and production of munitions in Europe.
Czech initiative for ammunition for Ukraine
Last year, the European Union announced its intention to supply Ukraine with about one million artillery shells. However, a year later, it turned out that the EU had failed to meet its promise and delivered far fewer shells than anticipated.
In response, Czech President Petr Pavel initiated the procurement of shells for Ukraine from third countries, some of which are allies of Russia. Through negotiations, Prague managed to secure over one million munitions. Additionally, Czech authorities mentioned that the amount of ammunition for Ukraine could increase as suppliers have promised to raise their quantity to 1.5 million units.
Following Pavel's proposal, Ukraine's allied countries began announcing their participation in the initiative and pledging tens of millions of euros for the purchase of shells. Previously, Czech officials said that the first deliveries of artillery shells could begin as early as June.