As the Ukraine war passes the 18-month mark, how are NATO’s factories meeting the artillery challenge?
A French Army CAESAR 155 mm/52cal self-propelled gun on Arquus chassis with protected cab is loaded into an A400M transport aircraft. (Photo: author)
NATO is rapidly increasing its supply of equipment to Ukraine in a number of key areas including tube artillery and, crucially, its ammunition. Shephard analyses how the alliance’s members are stepping up to this challenge after years of industrial neglect.
Despite the march of technological progress, field artillery (FA) is still the only source of firepower available on a 24/7 basis in all weather conditions, something close air support cannot accomplish.
While FA is traditionally used for suppressive fire, careful design of the 155mm projectile and fitting a precision guidance kit (PGK) can provide step-changes in accuracy. This means less projectiles are needed to neutralise a target, which reduces the logistics burden.
This capability is vital in the defence of Ukraine, and some members of NATO have provided ammunition from reserve or prepositioned stock to meet the immediate need. But
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