Why the 155mm Shell Is One of the World’s Most Wanted Objects Now | WSJ Equipped
The 155mm round is the most requested artillery munition by Ukraine for their war against Russia. And now Israel needs it as well for its war against Hamas in Gaza. 155mm rounds are mainly used in Western howitzer systems and became popular because of their balance between range and warhead size.
WSJ explains if the U.S. and other global arms suppliers can cope with the demand for this NATO-standard caliber artillery shell.
Chapters:
0:00 Key shell for Ukraine and Israel
0:48 155mm shell, explained
2:40 Artillery war
4:16 Production issues
5:32 Israel deliveries
6:19 What’s next?
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Equipped examines military innovation and tactics emerging around the world, breaking down the tech behind the weaponry and its potential impact.
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Perun: If you're making 155mm rounds you basically have a licences to print money
Actually, money is backed by 155 shell. Without that, money is just a piece of paper.
Ying-Yang guys!
You also need a license to sell itv😂
why is it that expensive though?
And only one plant
Wait so a shell went from around $2,000 a piece to over $8,000??? Someone is getting rich.
Isn't the purpose of most wars?
Aaah ! War.
Read Gen. Smedley Butler's book "War is a Racket" It's about WW1 but applies from there onward...
Ya, very smart thinking! And the reason for bank robberies is gun makers and ammo factories supplying the Police. So actually the industry is responsible for bank robberies, right? The crooks are not to blame, also not Wladimir Putin! Amazing. You should get a Nobel Prize for this finding. And a Doctor title from the University of Idiocracy.
That's what happens when the demand is much greater than what is available.
I worked at a 200 year old iron foundry in the UK. It was bought out by Geogre Fishers from Germany. It was one of the UK`s biggest automated iron foundries. We was casting 16 mortar shells every 30 seconds 24/7 during the Iraq war. 46,000 a day. A 70 tonne furnace. The Germans wanted it moving to Germany but it never got working so they scrapped it.
*Inferior UK engineering.*
@@johnslugger We invented the tank where I live. So you Russian`s copied it for some reason. Why don`t you get your own idea`s?
@@johnslugger we also invented Caterpillar tracks in Lincoln UK which the America`s brought off us. I work in a steel forge in the UK that make`s CAT crankshafts.
@@johnslugger Also my mate from Lincoln UK wrote the Grand Theft Auto game which you played so you might want to think again.
Uk engineering is not inferior. Unfortunately uk manufacturing is now on a major decline
With France putting the begging bowl out to Australia to provide it with the explosives to make 155mm shells it’s obvious that European military industrial capacity is chronically deficient.
Probably for fear of those facilities being destroyed or captured?
The Europeans don't like manufacturing and workers either. It can't be called green.
Yes, Australia has only just started manufacturing 155 shells itself, but I would not have thought we would make enough explosives to make much of a difference in the Ukraine war. I suppose it all helps increase the French manufacturing capacity. It should gets things really humming in the new Australian facilities though.
USA ściąga z paru krajów wypełnienie do pocisków. Również z Polski. My chyba jesteśmy z Europy?
@@robman2095w Polsce produkujemy pociski do 120 i 155. Wysyłamy masę prochu do USA by wypełniali swoje pociski. Nasze fabryki są rozbudowywane. Do 2026 mamy robić z 37 do 100 tysięcy karabinów rocznie, z 24 do 120 dział krab ( w tej chwili okolo 60 rocznie) a potroić się produkcją pocisków Grom . Otwieramy fabrykę czołgów, bwp borsuk( ma być od 120 do 200 rocznie) fabrykę koreańskich himars, fabrykę okrętów/ fregaty.. kupujemy od sąsiadów i innychdużo broni. Do 2026 będzie dodatkowo 540 czołgów, okolo 300 himars okolo 550 nowych krab i K9 tworzymy nowy system obrony powietrznej( to jest najdroższe ,ponad 20 baterii p.lotniczych i nowe sieci radarów.. wszystko to dopięte w sieć wojskowa ,,topaz. " Ukraina używa kawałek naszej sieci. Część artyleryjska. Czyli drony i komputery i działa 155 mm lub warmate lub himars. W sieć wplatają Ukraińcy działa zachodniej produkcji. Można wpiąć w topaz.
I’m a retired US Army Infantryman and I want to add a little info to help explain why it’s not so easy to make the steel shell casings. The metal is a very unique alloy as well as a special heat treating process that makes the steel come apart in small fragments that range from 1/2”-3 1/2” in size and they have jagged, sharp edges that rip into anything they hit when detonated. If they used just any available steel to form the steel shell casing then it’ll just rip open a seam along the length of the shell and produce a fraction of the properly made shell casing.
There are no 'dual-use' applications for such metallurgy.
How Diabolically fiendish
This is why this weapon is hideous. There's no limit to the evils of the human mind/brain. Ain't war great?
@@chipschannel9494 You sound pleased with this
@@MouldyCheesePie hmmmm hmhmhm!
We’ve come so far since 1918 haven’t we
? sharpened bone will kill a human just as easily as it did in 200,000 BCE.
Not at all and we never will.
only the west, and not in a good way
80% of war casualties for 200 year's cannon and mortar fire! 😮🇺🇦💙. (🙏☮️)
Learn from the past they said Don’t repeat the same mistakes they said More wars anyone , propping up the corporate military complex Bombs aren’t profitable sitting in warehouses collecting dust 🕊☮🕊
Both South Korea and North Korea have large artillery shells production capacity and massive stockpile of shells. South Korea sent 300k NATO shells to USA and North Korea, 1 million shells to Russia (equivalent 152 mm shells) Now South Korea become artillery shell supplier of NATO.
but NorKor shells not as good as even older soviet one (source: russian milbloggers)
South Korea NEVER sent any shells to North Korea. You meant NATO I think. South Korea has 3rd largest artillery and stockpiled 155 and 105mm for decades. It has been prepped for artillery duel like what's going on in Ukraine.
Works for me.
You know what he meant, SK sent it to US to send to Ukraine. SK needs their own artillery stockpile for war with NK@@Joseph-eh4rs
@@Joseph-eh4rs Looks like a punctuation error. Here, I fixed it: "South Korea sent 300k NATO shells to USA, and North Korea 1 million shells to Russia".
The fact that Israel with top line military hardware needs financial and military aid to fight a collection of oppressed peoples is embarrassing
It’s a war crime for the IDF to be using 155s in Gaza.
they using us to get rich
😂 they receive Billion from the USA a year in funding, if they can get it they will, there Jewish lol
Free Palestine frb
Need is a strong word, Israel military budget is 100 billion US aid is maybe 5 billion. Israel produces 155mm shells so need is a strong word
“Show me the incentive and I’ll show you the outcome.” - Charlie Munger
I'll bet you thought that would sound smart. It doesn't.
The incentive is to block trade between Russia and Europe. Whats the outcome?
@@unai_asecas9070 "... between Russia and _Germany_ ..." FIFY It has been a fear that Germany & Russia would align forces since 1920. The manufacturing might of GE and the raw materials of RU.
@@unai_asecas9070put everyone in debt so they can't legally fight back while skimming off incredibly inflated aid packages with extremely suspect producers and cost. even if they steal 0.5% every package they are some of the richest people in their respective country.
The problem with the ramjet shell is that it will likely not have as much explosive filler as a normal shell.
and cost. Jdams are still the cheapest way to hit ground over long distances.
It doesn't need it
The benefit of a
ideally the fuel/propellant could be an additional explosive. but yes even so without being able to increase the dimensions you cant give it the same explosives payload unless you change the explosive material.
No, the biggest problem with RAP rounds (as we call it) is that it tears the gun tube up. Destroys the howitzer barrel faster. Any Paladin or Triple 7 gunbunny can tell you that loading M549 up the spout makes battery gun chiefs squirm in discomfort. Not sure about XM1113
Industrially one nation has the advantage along with worldwide access to the natural resources. In my opinion, Ukrain is exposing a lot about NATO vulnerabilities and sourcing of needed resources.
The good news is that NATO is actually learning from this. The US is vastly growing their shell production (the US will produce about 10 times more shells in 2028 than it did in 2018) and changing their battle tactics. Germany is rearming their air force and investing heavily into their infantry and factories. Poland and other Eastern European nations are buying HIMARS and other systems for protection. Europe is weaning off of Russian oil and gas, and the US is starting to produce uranium domestically again. Still a long way to go, but countries are reacting.
Yeah, Russia didn't reveal anything about it's warfighting capability over the past two years... did it?
@@nicholasjohnson778 Before invading Ukraine people thought Russia was a superpower that could storm over Europe .🤔
@@Crashed131963 not just Ukraine Entire western or even world (include me) *WERE* believe Russia would rush this war and win within 3 day or matter of week
Yes a very useful wakeup call to European countries, many of whom have not pulled their weight in Nato or self defence generally, preferring to rely unfairly on the US. They should come out of this better prepared to defend themselves.
I find it disingenuous to not list EU numbers as well. Because while the analyst talks about "difficulties" EU+GB has still increased its production from 230,000 shells per year to over 600,000 shells per year in November (ie, at least 50,000 shells during November 2023), and will hit 1 million shells per year this autumn. The difficulties was that they were hoping to hit 1 million shells before April, but that's not going to happen. EDA (EUs department for Defence collaboration) has also worked out agreements over the last year for some absolutely massive orders of 155mm. So "failure to order" isn't exactly true either.
Glad you took the time to bring in some details regarding EU production. I think the main point behind "failure to order" is not what you’re ready to buy today or next year... but what you’re willing to buy every year for the next 15 years. Defense industry loves orders... but short term orders rarely justify a huge change in production volume. Anyway, not a rebuttal to your post; as an American I'm deeply thankful that Europe has stepped up as the U.S. waivers.
Source(s) please.
There is a reason they don't mention Russian production because they are vastly outproducing all of NATO :)
@@HarryF-tz5fo Russia is also spending 9 million shells per year (25000 rounds per day on average. Down from over 60000 shells per day). That means that 75% of their expenditure comes from their stockpiles. Unlike Ukraine they're probably never getting out of that deficit unless the war ends.
@@HarryF-tz5fo This seems to contradict the claims that Russia has been using significant quantities of cold war stockpiles accumulated over decades and importing North Korean artillery shells.
Today in the WSJ - this. Tomorrow in the WSJ - Why rain makes thing wet.
It definitely wont be anything about the border. Unless it is documenting some random family that drowned doing something stupid like crossing a river rather than going through one of the 25 checkpoints.
It's a shockingly poor article, even for the woeful standards of WSJ.
$8k for a single artillery shell? is that with the 10% for the big guy or without?
That's nothing. Missiles cost 1 to 2 million each.
@@EatMyShortsAUand those are cheap ones But still,missiles aren’t used in millions
@@joemamaobama6863 cheap ones are usually sub 1mil, hellfire/ATGM types, cruise missiles costing around 700k-1.5 mil is normal, esp a low observable one
Yeah true but I think demand outstrips supply right now, plus inflation.@@joemamaobama6863
Due to inflation, the Big Guy now gets 30%.
Imagine firing that shell 90 miles…
I wonder how long it would take to reach its target. Also Iv always wanted to see a Go Pro in the tip of a shell and watch the footage of it flying through the air.
A battleship could throw the weight of a volkswagon 50 miles.
it woudl not be so effective - bc small explosive. itis better to buidl a drone with such range. basicaly itis dead project already
@sguploads9601 you have no idea what you're talking about.
@@R290s_biggest_fanyeah exactly lol
Israel is extremely wealthy. Their military outnumbers Gaza’s military 10 to 1. Why does Israel need the United States to supply them with military support?
Ukraine is fighting Russia. A country with over 4x their population and with massive weapons stockpiles. Ukraine obviously needs help. Israel obviously doesn’t, so why is anyone worried about Israel?
It's even a joke to call Hamas the military of Gaza. They are a bunch of terrorists with bottle rockets.
Right and are they getting into protracted artillery battles with the Palestinians? Can’t see how they would be in dire need given all the advantages they already have on the battlefield.
It baffles me that you were not able to put two and two together here.... Why do you think the Israeli military is strong?
@@CrazyGaming-ig6qq, Do you believe that Israel’s military isn’t strong? How come Gaza is demolished?
How is a hunk of steel packed with some explosives supposed to cost $8,000 per shell? Can we have a breakdown in the numbers please?
corruption. Only those completely divorced from reality will say that it does not exist in Europe and the United States. for example, the cost of the same projectile in Russia is about $800
supply and demand, much demand little supply: prices rise. U are welcome.
Originally they were $2100 according to the video. Think about the skilled labor required - engineers needed to design the shells and tooling, machinists to fabricate the metal components, electronics assembly techs to build the fuzes, explosives techs who know how to safely manufacture and handle the explosives. THEN there's the cost of facilities and the utilities needed to run those facilities, and the insurance for explosives handling facilities, and the maintenance of the facilities and tools. On top of that, government contracts often have special requirements that can drive up costs in other unexpected ways that I'm not even going to try to get into. With all those factors, $2100 per shell is a miracle. Then, when demand goes up (as it does when war breaks out), supply goes down, so the price naturally increases to lower demand to what can be supplied. Source - worked in government contracting
The same thing happened with masks and other medical supplies during COVID. Everyone wants them yesterday, and you get a cascade effect where there is a shortage of all your inputs overnight. It's not just the companies manufacturing the shells, but the metal, explosive, paint, etc.
The Tools and Mashines (not many Companies build them), propellend base chemical mix and powder, licenses, skilled worker, demand The floor shells are also milled that cost time. And dependinh on your shell typ it also gets some tech
You're telling me Isreal needs artillery shells to fight in an Urban environment?
Now you get it!
against a terrorist group. while Ukraine fights a giant country
Can’t level a civilization without them!
Didn't he just say in the video, that they're not using it?
@@MrTechVO Quite right. The "anotherdrifter" poster didn't listen very well. This video made clear that Israel wasn't using that many of these shells and explained why.
I'm afraid the USA and EU vastly under estimated the need for artillery shells. Ramping up from minimal produced to wartime production has been much to slow. Think there should of been / should be government incentives / cash to ramp up production.
Yes, field artillery was reclassed to MPs and other MOS for the OIF OEF.
indeed they never knew before that they can be more genocidal after using them.
and it's exactly what the Soviets predicted back in the late 1980s. As anti aircraft missile technology increased, and by the late 1980s S-300 and Patriot missile systems could already engage 50-100+ miles away. The Soviets realized that all you would need to do is saturate air defenses at the front line and even SEAD would fail. Air power would not be as relevant as people thought, but cruise missiles and artillery would be key. Now we see the war in Ukraine and surprise surprise the Russians didn't rush in airpower (to all the confused NATO headlines of "where is Russia's air force?") and Russia had stockpiles of artillery shells in the millions, and production capacities per annum greater than all of NATO combined...
The USA/EU hasn't underestimate the need, they just didn't care enough. Both the US and EU is still very much in peacetime economies, nothing has really changed in that regard. A bit more spending on military, but that's basically it. Meanwhile Russia is quickly bankrupting itself by extreme state budget allocated to the military. Russia can keep it up at the current rate probably for a year and then there's no more, but the current rate is insanely high so if they change the rate of consumption which I would expect and start rationing their stockpiles instead and add to that additional supplies or ammunition from Iran or North Korea, Russia may last for several years. Putins hope is that the west caves in and stop supporting Ukraine, that's his only hope.
@@CrazyGaming-ig6qqi fully agree that the west is in peacetime mode, but I've heard that Russia is a year away from breaking economically for, well, for a year now.
The major difference between USA/EU and Russia is the planning and the property structure. The US/EU planning was based on maintaining the numbers that are spent in training and for USA - maintaining two small wars vs. ragtag goatherders with rusty AKs. Then all these order go to PRIVATE contractors. And as we are well aware, businesses do not have the habit to keep assets that are not bringing profit as it affects the stocks prices, the dividends and as well - the CEO bonuses. Moreover - if anything can be outsourced - it is getting outsourced as this increases the profit margins and lowers the maintenance expenses. E.g. the US manufactured 155mm shells are filled with HE that is produced in Poland. Only 20% of the steel, used for casings is domestically produced. So, ramping up the production means that USA needs not only new shell plants, but additional HE production, additional deliveries or production of steel and so on. On the other hand, the entire heavy armament production cycle in Russia is predominantly state owned and 100% state controlled. And they kept their old plants frozen because they have learned from history how important the industrial base and the self-sufficiency are if things go south. Moreover, they have the resources and the energy to restart them in very short terms and most importantly - not being dependent on sub-contractors.
The Russians remember their history but we try to forget it. Or maybe they're just smarter than we are. It's possible but we're arrogant and will never admit it.
doesn't seem very wise to outsource arms production
@@neilreynolds3858 I'll go with the latter. Arrogant and too proud to admit they f*cked up by shipping their manufacturing abroad for that cheap labor.
@@extrastout1111 Nothing America has done since the end of WW2 has been wise.
You have huge flaws in your argument. First - No one knows what additional production capacity Russia has been able to bring online. Since they inherited massive stockpiles from the Soviet Union, are currently importing ammunition from North Korea, and have dropped their rate of consumption by over half since the previous year it's doubtful it's anywhere significant enough to prove your point. Second - Russia is a raw material exporter and a finished goods importer. T14 Armata zombie program. Su-57 Felon zombie program as examples of sanctions castrating next generation Russian weapons programs. Even replacing tubes on artillery platforms, the two plants that produce 152mm tubes rely on a limited number of Italian machining tools; they can't get any more from Italy... will they be able order equivalent tools from China probably, but they don't produce them themselves. Russia is hardly self reliant and if we continue to see Russian artillery consumption drop, we'll know claims such as yours are not reliable. Even your claim about HE production, the US may have secured additional sources of HE (in the form of TNT) from Poland, but it's primary supply of of HE (in the form of IMX) is sourced from BAE Systems and is produced at Holston Army Ammunition Plant in Tennessee. I also don't know what your point about steel is since it's one of the cheapest raw materials in the world market. Not trying to be rude, but I'd be surprised if you can source any of your claims.
The Iowa Army Ammunition Plant is a undergoing a 2 billion dollar update, they make 120 and 155 there, but not the ram jets. Good amount of new jobs
So Ukraine can expect those on 2050?
@@ericp1139 I spewed my Coke!!!
Ramp production faster. Doing it at the current pace just means it will come online when it’s no longer needed. Then the expensive factories will be in place but soon be idle and the new jobs will disappear there or at some other US plant.
No they will get a continual trickle, even at the Army Goal of 85,000 per month by 2028 couldn’t keep up with them guys at 8-10k per day
@@Redsson56 The whole world is low so there will be millions needed even if Ukraine won tomorrow
So that's why I can't find them at Bass Pro!
i know a guy..
Even the the cheapest version can't be produced enough, those ultra-expensive guided longer range versions will be for parades only.
I'm from South Korea and my country can produce about 300,000 155mm shells a month and we always have about 3 million in stock. Since the beginning of last year, we have assisted Ukraine by bypassing artillery shells, and that has served as a springboard for Ukraine's counterattack. The West may not know and may not be interested in this, but I am saying to refer to it. We also have the largest shipbuilding industry in the world. It is the only country where we can compete with China with the ability to build warships
South Korea is a great nation and a great ally, we know it in Europe. 💙💛 I hope the Korean weapon producers will have good business in Europe, Poland already ordered some huge amount of weapons from South Korea.
it is because the law in your country doesnt allow to sell amunition to war zones, so it must be done throwght another country
Well that is great info! Cheers from Czech rep.
Yes, the help of S. Korea in Ukraine been recognized and has been in the news in USA.
I did not know that. Thank you for your support.
She Sells 155mm Shells on the Sea Shore
I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit.
In WWII until Vietnam, the 105mm was the most desired or desirable artillery shell type, light, easy to manufacture and have enough range to conduct fire missions, from the start of the 21st century countries have been slowly adapting 155mm and its howitzer or guns, it's bigger , more powerful but it's hard to manufacture in large numbers, 155mm has been the most standard western artillery shell from 21st century onwards.
I wouldn't say the start was in the 21st more like starting in the 60s with the M109
We still use 105mm easily for us to transport and fight in mountains and jungles apparently we won’t be fighting in flat plains or steppes. We are also too poor to afford 155mm we could only fire like 6 shells a year with our budget.
You are quite correct. Even in WWII we had the M12 SPH firing 155s. Cheers@@holo2762
The 155mm was used during ww2
If I only had a machine shop. Wonder if I can get a government loan to open a 155mm artillery shell factory. Look at me, I'm a job creator!
This story is beyond stupid. Howitzer shells mean little at this stage in the war. It's a lot of nonsense to sell newspapers.
no because you aren't a general's son
@@squidwardo7074 you don't know me! For real though I'm not.
Funny. It's like to start producing statins or drugs for dementia while phizer or j&j across the street look at you.
thats how you end up mistaken as a deer by mr.cheney
Isn't S. Korea providing more than 60% of all 155 shells for Ukraine and Israel?
No, your thinking of north Korea supplying artillery shells to the Russian military!! I think Canada and Australia are also helping Ukraine with 155mm shells as well...😮
@@mrDredd1966 Where do you think Australian and Canadian 155mm shells come from? Most of the shells come from S.Korea.
@@kjseo84 no, Australia makes the outside metal casings, then sends them to France to have the primer and explosive propellant added then it is sent to Ukraine!! Australia is going to upgrade its manufacturing capacity of 155mm artillery rounds so it can make them completely!!
@@mrDredd1966Dude South Korea provide 64% of whole 155mm shell to US and we send that shell to Ukraine so Australia can't provide 2.000.000 artillery shells for 2 years it's South Korea
My question is Israel has a very capable military, why supply shells to Israel instead of Ukraine? Israel should be fine without additional supply.
I would argue that the M1156 Precision Guidance Kit (PGK) is just as important as the artillery shell. One PGK will reduce the number of shells needed to take out a target by ten fold, reducing the cost and overall logistics needed to effectively hit a target.
That's not good for profits. How would the shareholders of the military contractors feel about that?
@@kimmeexfr why sell 1000 guidance kits once when you can sell 10000 shells repeatedly
Yea right. Have you seen the videos of the war. The out come of a shot is time. The round with no one's there is a wasted round
PGKs/Excaliburs don't really reduce the cost (well, maybe now with the price hike for a 155mm the PGK does. The Excalibur doesn't since the shell costs 100k USD). The main benefit is reduced collateral damage, the ability to use the shell in Danger Close (close to friendly troops), reduced logistics pressure and faster fire missions (reducing the vulnerability of artillery crews).
Granted the GPS signal is not jammed... good peice of kit to keep in stock.
The ammo plant at NASA in south MS was closed back in the late 80s early 90s. It produced the 155 mm round. It was closed because the miltary said they didnt need anymore as they said they had more stored than could ever be used in ANY WAR....who is lying?
So was the Shell plants in Eastern Ohio, Pittsburgh and Johnstown. Technically none had produced shells since Vietnam, but till the early 1990s were maintained to quickly produce the shells needed. Other shell plants were closed in the 1990s, for it was assumed we will no longer need the shells those plants could produced..
@paulmentzer7658 I never knew that a out Johnstown. I live fairly close to there and did my clinicals at Conemaugh hospital in Johnstown.
More shells is more maintenace, so you also need more barrel-and recoilunitproduction ,everybody forgets this . greets from Berlin
Only now? This is a major staple of South Korea's military. (South Korea is is currently supplying the US.)
"War! Huh! What is it good for? Increasing domestic manufacturing." - Bo Burnham
I personally fired over 1,000 of these in my 3 years in. one of the last few artillery men that got to do it.
South Korea produces 10,000 155mm shells at a low rate per month, and the South Korean Army's one-year training consumption is more than 100,000. If the maximum production is more than 42,000 shots a month, and 500,000 shots a year. Over the past year, the price of a 155mm shell has tripled from $300 to $900 per shot. For the past 20 years, when Western Europe has been on guard by excessive disarmament, South Korea has always been at the forefront of the free camp, and now South Korea has become an arsenal of the free camp. The South Korean Army suddenly became the second strongest army in the free camp.
Free camp? Ironically the only thing free in south Korea is crippling depression.
South Korea was a military dictatorship up until the 90's and still in camp with the western imperialist alliance. Freedom has nothing to do with S. Korea's relationship to the west
you forgot to mention that ukrainians didnt use WP shells) and we still use A LOT of 122-152 shells
Słyszałem że kraj z Bałkanów pomaga Ukrainie w tych amunicja.
0:10 so Ukraine needs real powerful and large 155mm shells to fight a superpower. Russia. 0:21 But? Israel needs 155mm shells because they are running out of that when they are shelling civilian targets?
For real, why is even continuing to supply Israel in the question. If I wanted the US to spend money around Israel, it'd be on a complete trade blockade until they cease all military operations.
For real, why is even continuing to supply Israel in the question. If I wanted the US to spend money around Israel, it'd be on a complete trade blockade until they cease all military operations.
OKAY! After ten weeks, it might be reasonable to ask Prime Minister Netanyahu to take a deep breath...
I was a US artilleryman for years... Don't underestimate the power of this munition...
WOW, this is so glamorous, every one should have some.
NATO standard munitions, like the 155, are never in short supply...witness that nearly every NATO signatory country has their own domestic production capability for shells. If anything, the biggest issue with so many shells being made by so many hands is quality control...don't want out of calibration 'Schindler Shells', do we?
Their domestic production was geared to produce a maximum of 10k shells per month for the whole of the EU . This was massively below what has been sent to Ukraine
You don't need these shells when you got drones that cost a quarter of the price.
Russia is ahead in drone production too.
Have you been living under a rock? You absolutely need artillery shells. Drones can't make up for a significant lack of artillery.
I have boats so I don't need submarines?
There is a whole family of these things, there is one for cluster, one that lays landmines, rocket assisted rounds, practice rounds, guided rounds and so on and so forth. Most time though, it just refer to M107 which makes a big boom.
I was a radar repairman, back in the day, for the US ARMY. Seeing all this newer stuff, I am always amazed by the engineering af it all.Thousand of rounds fired from one gun and almost very few failures, I assume. All these rounds being handled all the time and you never hear of one accidently going off. I would like to see the EU step up a bit and get some wartime stuff ramped up. This is their backyard afterall.
The fact that they're even sending artillery shells to Israel is ridiculous. It's being used offensively. Ukraine at least it's used defensively
Israel is far more important than Ukraine so they will get everything they want including 155 mm shells Ukraine will have to use the little amount given to them
Ukraine started the war so not true at all
Our weapons industry is booming, no pun intended.
Liar
Bot shill
😂
More than 200k shells a moth at $8k apiece...and then go on with such rate for 3 years? And then these countries claim to not be able to support the poor have homes or afford food.
Weapons manufacturers: *Bring me my money* 🤑🤑🤑
South Korea stepped up the plate and hit a grand slam.
Easily because Israel doesn't really need our weapons they have their own domestic production. Ukraine is fighting a large scale war wearas Israel is fighting an assemetric war those kinda fights require different weapons.
High intensity combat supply consumption per day (from memory): WW1 division 10-30 tons Early WW2 German divisions 50-150 tons (by type) Late WW2 Allied divisions 200-600 tons 1991 NATO armoured divisions 1000-1500 tons (by terrain and climate) Of which ~90% is usually artillery ammo (Commonest calibre: WW1 75mm; WW2 105mm, modern 155mm)
Excellent explanation 👌
Israel doesn’t need artillery for a police action.
War is very expensive
Horribly expensive. It's not something that an already bankrupt country should contemplate but here we are.
War is very profitable. FIFY
its more expensive to russia than to the west though, thats what matters :)
We need long time contracts with ammo factories, so they can afford the risk of ramping up productions.
Interesting bit about the price per unit for artillery shells. But you are not taking into account the purchasing power parity between Western and Russian producers.
Russia is spending about $600 per 152mm shell.
The US Army created and employs the M114 towed howitzer. Known as the 155 mm Howitzer M1, it was initially manufactured in 1942 as a medium artillery piece. Prior to being replaced by the M198 howitzer, it served with the US Army in the Korean, Vietnam, and World Wars II.
Throwing a ram jet on an artillery shell is one of the most American things I have heard in a while. #wild
I know its a two months old comment, but its actually a Norwegian company Nammo. We just figured our longships was too dependent on waterways.
Thank you military industrial complex for sponsoring this video
We've asked our seasoned military affairs experts why the 155mm shell is so sought after, and they said this. "It big bomb. Make big boom".
Is anybody else outraged that as soon as they were needed in great quantity the price increased by 300%?
The West is an Empire of Bankers in addition to being an Empire of Lies. Lol 😄🇷🇺
Do you understand how working with the government drives up prices?
@@neilreynolds3858 Yes I understand that, but your average citizen isn't going out and buying 155mm artillery shells. The government is their only customer.
@@neilreynolds3858 not for russia it doesn't lol 🤣 they shells coat between 80-100$ per shell
If you have a steel works plant in your backyard that manufactures NATO standard 155mm shells, then you're going to be a rich man and have a license to earn money, probably even tax fre.
they pronounce kiev in the funniest ways since 2022 "KEEV!!! we fight for keev!!!!"
Poland production rate of 155mm increasing from 50k pre 2022 to 200k 2024 per annum. Also Poland produce still 152mm but numbers are not disclosed.
The world didn't know how good they had it back in 2019..... this future is awful!
Thanks Stewie!
exactly what I was thinkin
Someone mentioned it some earlier videos, pretty funny stuff lol@@wills2866
It's not can we, it's should we. A calculation of the impact on America and the American economy should have been job 1, and wasn't done.
4:11 what city was this?
these wars are a waste of resources.. we should pouring resources to explore and terraforming other planets
How much artillery is Israel using?
Ukraine is fighting Russia. A country with over 4x their population and with massive weapons stockpiles. Ukraine obviously needs help. Israel obviously doesn’t, so why is anyone worried about Israel?
WSJ you’re conflating / padding this story line. Basic 155mm artillery shells can be provided to both countries. Not sure how many shells Israeli forces need given size of Gaza PS - Guessing South Korea is the only country with excess production capacity and maybe India now that it has adopted 155mm artillery within its weapons inventory.
We would left out a whole class of 155 millimeter. Is carrier shell types. Illuminating smoke and submunitions. Submunitions also include anti tank and antisonnel mines and a large number of other types.
Wait, so the EU has been talking about artillery shells for over a year now but has just now in 2024 placed an order large enough to make private industry move the needle. Why didn't the EU or NATO think to place an order as soon as the war started? I mean, why in the world did it take so long to agree that artillery was need asap.
Because the EU and NATO talk big but everyone knows they can’t make any decisions unless America gives them permission first.
You forget that the war was supposed to be over in a month. Remember, Russia was going to collapse because everybody there hated Putin and they were going to rise up and throw him out. All of our "Russia experts" said so. They still do. They obviously know nothing about Russians so how did they get to be our experts?
@@myron1231234 No, this is about political incompetence and a horrible bureaucracy that makes getting anything done 5x as long.
@@rickjames18 Perhaps they easily expected to defeat Russia, without using additional funds and weapons. I saw interviews with some Ukrainian soldiers who were sure that as soon as the Russians saw the Ukrainian army and Western weapons, the Russians would flee in panic...
@@Tonik-13 Yeah, possibly but to be fair many of the early Russian pushes ended in routes. The major one was the Kherson area pushback. So, the Russians did leave in panic with tons of equipment left behind but most of those trained soldiers are now dead. What we see on the trenchline now are mostly conscripts not professionals. I would be really interested in knowing how many actual professionals are still alive from the initial invasion.
Its wild to me that we still have massive groundwars in 2024. We feel like we're an advanced species but we never really get there.
If someone is on land you want, how do you get them to leave?
All it takes is one person/nation. And that fact means that every other person/nation needs to be prepared for the possibility.
I mean most of these countries at war have the capacity to drop a few nukes like the US did to Japan. So we are an advanced species if we have managed to steer clear from a nuclear winter fallout.
Those advanced things only work when one side doesn't have them. When both are about equal this is what happens
@@trevorsutherland5263 I imagine you are Yemeni and this is a genuine question.
The 155 MM shell was invented for the French Army back in 1874, so it's been around for a long time. It is the most used shell in the world by far.
Artillery is still king in warfare
If you know how to use it right. We don't seem to.
@@neilreynolds3858 Something is going right if a superpower invades a country right on its border and can't get the job done in 2 years . Could you seen the USA invading Canada or Mexico and taking 2 years to topple their governments ?
@@Crashed131963 you have no idea what war really looks like.
@@alexbukovsky4621 The US toppled the Iraq government in Baghdad in 4 weeks that was on the other side of the world. Not over the border like Kyiv .
NATO 155mm ammo = $8400 / round North Korean 152mm artillery shells = 26 USD / round
those north korean folks will get no pay
Given the nk shells are duds or made without any specs or quality control, their value for money is zero
Jakość północnych jest bardzo kiepska. Tylko do obszarowych ostrzałów.
Go ask the Ukrainians if the shells of the North Koreans are of poor quality, it is because of this kind of reflection that NATO today is unable to produce shell access still in the superiority complex
@@valeriegillet473 According to Ukraine they are low quality
Churchill explained, in his WW1 narrative "The World Crisis", that in producing munitions "The first year you get nothing, in the second a trickle, in the third year a flood." Sounds as if things work about the same way now.
Slowly the narrative is accepting the ground realities 😂
A couple of factors contributing: a) Ukraine early on was using old Soviet/Russian artillery doctrine, where accuracy was compromised for area saturation. While that's is one aspect of artillery usage, it's not the only factor hence the high consumption-rate. Currently Ukraine forces are much better trained, the use of forward observers to call in artillery is more wide-spread hence their accuracy has greatly increased as has their lethality. b) Western powers supplying Ukraine hadn't been in any prolonged conflicts where artillery usage was a major factor. While previous conflicts have utlitzed artillery for battlefield prep or, surgical strikes, the prolonged war with daily fire missions has been a wake-up call for governments reviewing their budgets and stockpiles...TLDR- governments need to take to their militaries about what is really needed
Ukrainians didnt mimic NATO doctrine with forward observers, rather they start small revolution in artillery since 2014, creating direct link between drones and firing units+by introducing several apps/user-friendly software for artillerists and for all who use indirect fire.
What nonsense is this? Yesterday CNN showed AFU M109 team firing 155mm SMOKE SHELLS as that's all they have. The guy interviewed said "old Soviet stuff is better because its easier to get and always works".
Western weapons are luxury props. They are high maintenance, which can only be enjoyed by solid logistic tails. Western weapons are not designed to fight long wars against near-peers. The only reason the AFU lasted so long is because of their Soviet stockpiles.
@@trevorsutherland5263 I'm with you. This comment does not fit the reality I'm seeing in interviews with soldiers.
"Currently Ukraine forces are much better trained, the use of forward observers to call in artillery is more wide-spread hence their accuracy has greatly increased as has their lethality" ah yes THAT EXPLAINS HOW THE GREAT COUNTER OFFENSIVE has gone nowhere for 6 months.
Unlike Israel, Ukraine uses these shell for military targets only.
...mostly. Ukraine shelled city center of Doneck and several close to border Russian towns on numerous occasions.
Korea is the country with the world's largest possession of 155mm artillery shells. It is a country that has been preparing for war for 60 years and is crazy about artillery power. The number of 155mm shells is unofficially held at over 6 million+. We secretly delivered 500,000 rounds of 155mm artillery shells to Ukraine to the United States, which is more than the support provided by all European countries. Korea's 155mm artillery shell production surpasses that of Western countries. In addition, the production cost is very low due to mass production and ownership. North Korea has already provided large quantities of artillery shells and missiles to Russia, tilting the war towards Russia. If Korea provides weapons to Ukraine in earnest, the outcome of the war will change again.
Its just that North Korean shells tend to blow up. State production.
"very static front line" that didn't age well at all LOL
If Gerald Bull were still alive, he’d make a ton of dough.
Now we are talking big guns.
And always remember kids: Aint nothing as profitable as war!
I'd say internet search is much more profitable. And it works in peace time, too.
There is, selling drugs.
I to am also in high demand for 15mm shells. **I haven't acquired a single one** but that doesn't stop me from watching facebook market place.. 😂
No one in the community says "shell." We say "round." Just "round."
Thats actually quite scary the US is supposed to be able to fight in 2 fronts with no problem they should have millions of does shells stored or in general have ammo ready to give it to their allies in case of war i know the US is not known for their artillery power unlike its airpower but still.
We never thought anyone would be dumb enough to call our bluff. Forgive us for giving peace a chance, we'll never be making that mistake again.
@@takunveritas😂😂😂mistake ? Your president claimed America can it is more of ignorance and arrogance not mistake
the US doesn't use artillery because we mostly use drones, smart bombs and aircraft when we attack things... we have little to no use for artillery and ground combat is slowly being phased out. most of what we make is for NATO so we only had a limited stockpile to start with and Ukraine has misused most of what we gave them which is why they're currently losing. Germany's defense department said back in like August or September that they could easily start production on those artillery shells but the gov't had to give them the go ahead... clearly Germany is struggling with budgets as can be seen with the farmers strike. Germany also has a law that does NOT allow them to go into a deficit so they can't just spend into oblivion like the US does with it's military... the US has more rockets and bombs that have far higher precision and actually DO something when you fire it at a target that's either moving or stationary... artillery can't hit moving targets! it is for fortifications and entrenchments! if you're still scared after all this then you should do some actual research and understand how war works. i was told all throughout this conflict that "Russian's are smart enough" and i laughed because Russia has been fighting wars for longer than some of those peasant colonies have existed, Russia was at one point in time the second most powerful military on the planet... if you count the nuclear arsenal they still are! at the peak of WW2 Russia had 70,000 tanks, the US only had 50,000... but the US also produced more ships, planes, vehicles and ammo than the rest of the world combined in the 4 short years that we were in the war... US not producing a worthless artillery shell is the least of concerns lol... maybe if Hunter Biden wasn't doing what he was doing back in 2014 when interestingly enough ALL of this conflict started happening... we wouldn't have a war on our hands...
@@ToeCutter454your wrong about something, the US reduced production because the conflicts that we have been in over the last few decades didn’t require a large war of attrition like the conflict in Ukraine. Planning for military production is done years in advance
@@ToeCutter454 Artillery is one of the most important things in the military even in modern day conflicts i doubt the US can achieve air superiority as easy against Russia and China i hope im wrong but i cant see that happening like they did in iraq.
105mm feels left out 😢
Not destructive enough
@@zedeyejoe depends on that destructive power, Can i ask, how much cost different between 105 vs 155mm shell without fuse
@@dernadaarmando2948 It has been decided that 155mm is now the standard size. 105mm is used for light artillery. Russia uses 152mm and and 122mm as standard sizes. Cost of ammunition has gone up with demand. I gather that an unguided (dumb) 155mm round is now $8,000 each (up from $2,000, used to be $750). I can see a price for a 105mm round, $750. I don't know how current that is. Prices should drop once more shell production comes on-line.
@@zedeyejoe oh so its mean, in terms normal demand, 155 and 105 have quite similar price?
@@dernadaarmando2948 Yep 105mm just a bit smaller. Only difference in cost will be amount of material used and demand!
"Bcoz you ran out of them" better be your answer why people want them but can't get them. 😂😂😂
FYI, 155mm shells were first used in 1916 by the French. They calculated that 155mm was the ideal diameter for a common soldier to carry, on a daily basis, for days on.
and all this magnificent technology and huge amounts of money to rip human bodies to pieces. I sometimes wonder , if we have evolved much since the medieval ages.
Considering that we have nuclear technology that can melt millions of people in seconds we have evolved quite a bit. The thing that never changes are our leaders. They always find a way to send our young men and women out to die.
Not at all. Has our DNA changed? Aren't we still sheep?
6:19 Wouldn't manufacturing 155mm shells within Ukraine just make the factories a target for the Russians? I doubt they could keep the location of the factories a secret for long.
Russia is unable to overcome Ukraine air defense
They are being targeted and destroyed. Russia is indeed overcoming Ukraine's air defense. That's why Ukraine is asking for helf for artillery/rockets/AD etc. from the west.
Would love to see some stats on shell consumption at the most active areas of the Ukraine front, compared to battles like Verdun, or the Somme, or some of the other major offensive actions during WW1.
I don't think it's even close, in WW1 they had battery after battery firing 24/7 without stopping
It'll be curious to see how quickly production can be ramped up.
Perhaps world war two could serve as an example. The USA's military production totally outpaced that of the Germans and the Japanese.
We should be engaged in peace deals, not arming criminal regimes.
we are. We make deals peacefully with Ukraine and Israel, while not arming the criminal regimes, that is Hamas and Russia.
@@DYFortescuewhat is your criteria of criminal regime? Is killing children one of them?
@@DYFortescueBig copium right there
@@rizkymubaroq3025 Is invading a Music Feasible and stealing the audience warfare to the Gaza government ?
Ukraine is the most PRIORITY! Israel should not receive any!
Why does Israel need 155mm shells in an urban fight with civilians still in the area?
J's doing J stuff.
Tooling, Machinery quality level, logistics+, certification, sourcing, HE+i it's not the caliber but the calibration.
israel should not be armed,