Rheinmetall to Supply Ukraine with Propellant Charges for 155mm Artillery

18 December, 2024 PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer. Photo: Dutch Ministry of Defense German defense giant Rheinmetall will supply Ukraine with propellant charges for 155mm artillery.

This is reported by the official website of Rheinmetall. The supply of modular powder charges will take place under a contract between the company and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The exact date of the contract signing has not been disclosed, but its value is reported to be approximately EUR9 million.

Modular propellant charges for 155mm artillery.

Photo: Rheinmetall

The contract provides for the supply of several tens of thousands of 155mm propellant modules of various types, and their delivery is scheduled for January 2025. Powder charges are used by artillery to create pressure during the combustion of powder 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. Modular charges are most commonly used in self-propelled artillery, where there are automatic gun loading systems. Depending on the range, the number of modular charges can be inserted by software, which allows for flexible firing control.

Propellant module cutaway.

Photo: US Army

Previously, Militarnyi reported that Germany's Rheinmetall will produce half a million 155mm modular propellant charges for the Spanish Ministry of Defense. As part of the framework agreement signed with Rheinmetall, 0.5 million of 155mm modular propellant charges will be purchased in a long-range version. The order will be fulfilled at the end of 2025 with the possibility of additional orders, which may increase the value of this contract.

According to Rheinmetall, after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Spanish army handed over artillery shells and modular charges to Ukraine. In addition to this production of charges, Rheinmetall reported that a 155mm artillery ammunition plant of the German defense giant Rheinmetall in Lithuania will be launched by mid-2026. The new ammunition plant will be located in the city of Baisogala in the Radviliskis district of Lithuania.

The shells are intended for the Lithuanian army's German PzH-2000 and French CAESAR artillery systems.

The quantity of the ordered ammunition is calculated according to the needs of Lithuania, and the price corresponds to the market price.