U.S. plans to double artillery shell production for transfer to Ukraine
Illustrative photo (Facebook)
The U.S. Army intends to double the production of artillery shells used in Ukraine by October of this year, according to Doug Bush, the chief of the U.S. Army's acquisition office.
Production of 155mm artillery shells in the U.S. is expected to increase from 28,000 last October - the last month for which exact numbers were published - to about 37,000 in April and about 60,000 in October 2024. The army then hopes to rapidly increase production in 2025, from just under 75,000 shells in April to 100,000 in October.
That planned increase is due in part to a new factory the Army is building in Texas, which will “have an entirely new way of making the shell, using entirely new tech we've never used before,” Bush says.
The availability of ammunition, especially large artillery shells of 155 mm caliber, does not allow Ukraine to match Russia in terms of firepower. Currently, Ukrainian troops fire about 2,000 shells a day, which is about one-fifth of Russia's volume.
According to Bush, the massive use of ammunition such as 155-millimeter shells may force the United States to reconsider how much of its stockpile it needs to have.
“If larger stockpiles are a way to mitigate risk for an extended conventional conflict, then that needs to be looked at,” he says.
According to Bush, the U.S. did not have to increase production of small artillery shells, tank shells, or mortar shells for Ukraine because the US was able to meet Ukraine's needs without significantly depleting its stockpiles.
U.S. assistance to Ukraine
Earlier, the U.S. Senate introduced a new bill to help Ukraine. It combines the allocation of funds to help Ukraine, and Israel, and to strengthen the southern border of the United States.
By the way, Biden spoke sharply about the bill to help Israel without Ukraine.
U.S. President Joe Biden also proposed that Congress allocate $106 billion to help Ukraine and Israel. However, the issue has not yet been resolved.
