The U.S. plans to increase the production of 155 mm shells, bringing it to 80,000 per month next year, Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said on Aug. 10.
The statement comes amid Ukraine's growing need for NATO-standard ammunition, which is used with West-provided artillery.
According to Ryder, the U.S. has provided Ukraine with over two million 155 mm ammunition rounds since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Since February 2022, Washington has stepped up the production of 155 mm projectiles from 14,000 to around 24,000 per month, the official told a press conference.
Ryder added that U.S.-supplied cluster munitions have already proved helpful on Ukraine's front lines. "We have all indications that they (Ukrainian forces) are employing those weapons properly on the battlefield, as they indicated they would."
On June 7, Ukraine's state-owned military enterprise Ukroboronprom announced plans to begin its own production of the 155 mm artillery shells.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in March that Ukraine was firing an average of 110,000 155mm-caliber shells a month — a quarter of the amount used by Russia.
Martin Fornusek
