The USA informed about the signing of contracts for the production of artillery ammunition for Ukraine. Their total value will reach $522 million.
Radio Svoboda writes about it.
Northrop Grumman Systems and Global Military Products received orders for the production of projectiles. This is happening against the background of active discussions in the West that Ukraine is rapidly depleting the reserves of artillery shells of the allies.
Deliveries of new ammunition are planned to begin in March. The contracts are financed by the Pentagonʼs Initiative to Support the Security of Ukraine.
- NATO plans to urge Allies to increase their stockpiles of munitions because of aid costs to Ukraine. They also note that the former reserves are not enough in case of a full-scale conflict. Even on the eve of Russiaʼs invasion of Ukraine, NATO member states did not fulfill their obligations to stockpile ammunition. After all, many believed that large-scale hostilities and wars of attrition were a thing of the past. But the pace of ammunition deliveries to Ukraine, which uses up to 10 000 artillery shells every day, has exhausted NATOʼs stockpiles and exposed problems in supply chains, efficiency and speed of production.
- France and Australia informed about plans for the joint production of 155-mm ammunition for Ukraine. Australia will supply the gunpowder, while the French arms and military equipment manufacturer Nexter will produce the ammunition.