Rheinmetall to Supply 155mm Shells to Ukraine

23 December, 2024 DM121 shells manufactured by Spanish company Expal. Photo from open source German defense giant Rheinmetall is set to supply Ukraine with 155mm artillery shells.

This was reported on the official LinkedIn page of the Defense Procurement Agency under Ukraine's Ministry of Defense. Under the contract signed between the parties, the German company is to start supplying artillery shells in the first half of 2025. "Establishing direct contractual relations with the world's leading arms manufacturers for each critical inventory item is extremely important for the Agency, as it increases the reliability of supplies.

We are sincerely grateful to Rheinmetall for their contribution to the support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," stated Maryna Bezrukova, CEO of the Defense Procurement Agency.

Production of DM121 155mm artillery shells. Photo credits: Rheinmetall

The exact value of the signed contract, as well as the number of shells to be delivered, is not disclosed. Rheinmetall has also recently signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine to supply propellant charges.

The contract is worth about EUR9 million. The contract provides for the supply of several tens of thousands of modular propellant charges of various types, and their delivery is scheduled for January 2025.

Modular propellant charges for 155mm artillery. Photo: Rheinmetall

Gunpowder charges are used by artillery to create pressure that occurs during the combustion of gunpowder inside the barrel of an artillery gun.

Depending on the artillery system, charges can be bagged or modular. Bagged charges are simpler and more common in field artillery. Previously, Militarnyi reported that the German defense concern Rheinmetall received an order from the Ukrainian government to build an ammunition plant.

The company intends to start producing ammunition in Ukraine within 24 months, approximately in the second half of 2026.