The 155mm Howitzer round is one of Ukraine’s most requested artillery munition for the war. The US has shipped 1.5 million rounds so far but the warn-torn country is seeking more. Read to know why.
What is the 155mm Howitzer round?
The 155mm Howitzer round is an artillery shell and part of the Howitzer system used extensively in the US. The big bullet is made up of four parts: the detonating fuse, propellant, primer, and projectile. Each weighs about 100 pounds and is about two feet long. The chemical artilleries were first developed by the French to respond to WWI’s trench warfare. Moreover, the US adopted its use with its M1 version in WWII and NATO adopted it as its standard.
“The 155 mm round and the similar Soviet-era 152 mm rounds are so popular because they provide a good balance between range and warhead size,” explained Ryan Brobst. Brobst is a research analyst at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. “If you have too small a shell, it won’t do enough damage and go as far. If you have a larger shell, you can’t necessarily fire it as far. This is the most common middle ground, and that’s why it’s so widely used,” he added.
Why does Ukraine want them?
The 155mm Howitzer rounds can be configured in several ways. It can be used for piercing armor, producing fragmentation, packed with highly explosive materials, or even with precision-guided systems. They can also target up to 15 to 20 miles away based on the round and firing system used, making them important for ground forces. “Adversaries don’t have much warning of it coming. And it’s harder to hide from incoming rounds that are arcing in from the top, which makes it highly lethal,” stated Brobst.
Ukraine is currently using about 6,000 to 8,000 155mm Howitzer rounds every day. However, this is eclipsed by Russia’s use of over 40,000 variant versions every day. The Pentagon was previously providing the details of the rounds in the security assistance packages. However, it stopped sharing the details in February, citing operational security. While nations other than the US are providing howitzers, Kyiv is asking for more. As the nation is preparing for an intense counter-offensive move in the spring, it will likely need to fire about 7,000 to 9,000 shells a day.
