Projectile and contract hunger. What about Ukrainian production 155mm ammunition?

Considering that at that time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine had exclusively guns of the USSR, this idea could seem fantastic. However, the intensity of battles showed that the stock of Soviet calibers available to Ukraine will end very quickly. And they can only be purchased in such large volumes in Russia, that is, it is impossible at all.

In April-May 2022, after the historical “ramstay”The event began to supply Ukraine with its artillery starting with trailer M777and with them their own shells from the then full warehouses in Europe and the United States.

Over the three years of the Great War, the situation simply changed stunning.

Ukrainian manufacturers made a jerk from making a single copy “Bogdan” to its mass production.

Now, according to official messages, to the front is sent every month More than 20 domestic SAU. In addition, it has recently become known about the appearance Bogdan’s trailed versionwhich also comes into the troops.

Thanks to its own production and deliveries from partners, Ukraine was able to saturate the Armed Forces with new barrels. But years of intense battles have given rise to a new problem – a shortage of NATO shells.

It is partially closed through supply from partners. But having self -sufficiency in such a critical type of weapons is a matter of survival. Therefore, since 2024, Ukraine has been trying to launch the production of 155 mm shells within the country.

The “Defender” has decided to find out what state of affairs with Ukrainian production 155 mm shells, and why the state sometimes prefers imports to the domestic manufacturer.

NATO for itself: Production in Ukraine To renew the release of the Soviet nomenclature of ammunition at their factories, which once released it – the task is difficult, but quite real.

Ukraine has launched the production of many such shells over the last three years. According to some positions, production growth is hundreds of percent. It is obvious that with such exponential growth there are fault projects. Such as, Scandalous 120 mm mines from one of the state factories that did not fly or explode.

Nevertheless, we must admit that the Ukrainian defense still made the hardest jerk from the dead point to restore the production of old Soviet calibers.

But the launch of the production of new calibers that no one in Ukraine has previously produced – the task is more difficult. Especially when it comes to large 155 mm shells. Their release is the highest league of world weaponry. Several major players want to get into Ukraine at once.

Production of 155 mm RheinMetall shells / Company photo

First of all, it is about several state producers. Since the beginning of 2024, the strategprom and other profile structures have worked to find the appropriate equipment for them, to help buy components and start production.

In August-September last year, Ukraine concluded the first contracts with state-owned enterprises for the issue of 155. However, one production has not started by the end of the year. And at the other plant, at the end of the fall of 2024, the first 10 thousand shells of 155 mm were celebrated.

“We now have one production with shells of our own development. One copied a Western counterpart, but the manufacturer saw it and gave us a license so that we were not” pirates. “ tells the source of “defense” from a circle of military-political leadership.

In addition to state-owned manufacturers, there are several private companies that also received contracts for the issue of 155 mm shells.

According to the results of last year, according to the “defense”, it was not possible to meet the needs of the Armed Forces in the 155-mm shells of the Ministry of Defense. Supply from the United States remains questionable that European partners are limited. So this year, Ukraine is more and more hopeful on its own capacity for their production.

Director of Defense Procurement Agency (AOP) Arsen Zhumadilov He told “defenders” that several hundred thousand Ukrainian shells of NATO calibers have already been regulated.

But many shells remain illegal, although they are capable of production.

The Ukrainian Armored Tax Project is ignored Ukrainian Armored vehicles (UB) came up with one of the largest production projects ammunitionNATO alibrais starting the release right awayyou: three types of 155 mm, 105 mm, as well as a tank 120mm projectile.

It would not be able to do it on its own, because only a license for one type of projectile can cost millions of euros, not to mention the deployment of a full production cycle that covers gunpowder, undergors and other complex and scarce components. Therefore, the firm began to look for a partner who eventually became the European Czechoslovak Group.

Before the full -scale invasion of UB and Czechoslovak Group were even competitors. The European Corporation tried to sell its 152-mm SUU Dana, and Ukrbrotechika was promoting the raw domestic SUU “Bogdan” at that time.

After the Great War, the Western Corporation turned more into a close partner, because UB works as an importer of weapons, and Czechoslovak Group supplies its ammunition and other military products to Ukraine.

“They have a wide range of links and financial resources, so help to look for and supply a lot of products from the world market. Now we are working with them various technological projects for developing new equipment with a goal for years ahead”, .

Czechoslovak Group (CSG) is a group of companies that at different times have been able to buy key defense production in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, has factories in Greece, Serbia, Spain, Germany, USA and more. For example, the Ukrainian missile complex “Neptune” or SAU “Bogdan” stand on a chassis from “Tatra”. The Tatra plant belongs to CSG.

“Bogdan” on the Tatra’s chassis / Command of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces

The Ukrainian army uses dozens of Dana and Dita SAU, produced by the enterprise from CSG. The Czech company also restored hundreds of tanks and Soviet BMPs for the Armed Forces.

But the main thing is that CSG has a full cycle of production of shells: it has its own blades, its pouring, its explosive, its powder and even nitrocellulose, which is the main component of gunpowder.

“It’s a complex production. You can invent a bicycle, do your underminants or something else. But then you saw that it does not fly or not explode. Therefore, it is much more reliable to take P Artner who already has a closed cycle and just go with him this path in Ukraine, “ – says one of the interlocutors of the “defense”, familiar with the launch of the project.

Interest in the joint production of shells by “Ukrainian armored vehicles” is clear – for them it is a pass to the club of the weapons elite. But why do Czechoslovak Group to a joint project with a relatively small Ukrainian company?

In fact, the meaning of this for the Czech corporation is, and it is strategic.

Now European defense companies are feeling extremely comfortable, because orders are pouring on all sides. As one of CSG’s toplemeters mentioned in conversation with the “defense”, their companies were low -profit a few years ago. Now the owner of Czechoslovak Group Michal Stnad Bloomberg He called the richest man in Central and Eastern Europe.

Production of 155mm Czechoslovak Group / Company Photo

But this tale will end sooner or later for them, because after the active fighting is completed, large orders will disappear, and billions of investments in factories are not at risk of paying off.

Companies in the market understand the instability of their situation, so right now they are preparing for a possible collapse of demand for ammunition. They already think where to look for additional order for their products.

Even nAnd the background of the Great Program of the European Union for Re-Association Producers from Expired Western Europe do not believe in the opportunity to win competition with companies from France, Germany, Italy, etc.

Therefore, Ukraine for them is not only the present but also the future marketUTU. PpOur Defense Ministry will be able to replenish strategic reserves for 5-10 years. However, Ukraine will definitely not import these shells, but will bet on local manufacturers, because it is cheaper.

Therefore, the only opportunity for Western companies to fix in the Ukrainian market is to partially transfer the production of their products to Ukraine. This not only gives them a priority in contracting during the war, it will also increase the chances of contracts after it.

In 2024 about plans to build a plant of ammunition in Ukraine announced the German RheinmetallTaking the partners of the state “Ukroboronprom”. Czechoslovak Group has chosen a different way and started looking for partners in the private sector. So there was a project with “Ukrbuntechnika”.

The terms of this agreement look sufficiently tempted. “Ukrainian armored vehicles” receives technical documentation for all five types of shots-155 mm M107, 155-mm L15, 155-mm ER-BT VMK/MKM, 105 mm M1 and tank 120 mm shot. Instead, UB has no right to distribute this technology, to produce similar products outside the joint project, to export shells without the permission of the partner. Well, in the end, the Czechs will have the right to determine the price.

M107 shells

Some of the shells were imported on this common project, but the vast majority were to produce in Ukraine at the capacities of “Ukrainian armored vehicles”.

In general, there are two “narrow places” in the production of shells. The first is gunpowder, the second is filling the projectile with explosives. Ukraine does not have its own powder plant yet, so the problem of supply of powder has been fully assumed by the Czechs. But filling the shells will be “Ukrainian armored vehicles” on their own production sites. The purchase of appropriate equipment cost the Ukrainian company tens of millions of euros and more than a year of expectations.

Despite the fact that “Ukrainian” shells will still have a very noticeable proportion of imported components, according to Belbas, in the first year up to 55% of the cost of each made ammunition, depending on its type, will remain in Ukraine. And after the localization of production of blasts and capsule bushings – up to 70%.

In October, the parties officially signed the agreement, and in December 2024 military representatives confirmed the ability to produce these ammunition. Ukrbrontechika declared readiness to produce 100,000 shells in 2025 and 300,000 in 2026.

But mass production has never started. The state has regulated only that part of the project concerning imports from the Czech Republic, and did not give money to its own production of money.

Belbass explains that the number of 100 thousand shells in 2025, which he in his time He voiced Militar journalists are tied to the supply of powders. In order to produce this volume, it was necessary to regulate the powder plants of partners at the beginning of the year to get the components in time and start work. Now it will be more difficult, as it has been over 6 months.

“Ukraine has to understand that it is not a fast market. And you can’t buy projectiles today. Even if you have money,” -one of the top executives of Czechoslovak Group explained.

As a result, the project, which claimed hundreds of thousands of shells of NATO calibers produced in Ukraine and loading factories for years, is still limited to tens of thousands of ordered shells. And that is not Ukrainian but imported.

“This year we do not expect the production of Ukrainian ammunition for this project”, – said Arsen Zhumadilov, chairman of the defense procurement agency.

Why do imports instead of their own manufacturer? The balance between suppliers is an adequate procurement strategy. This was not enough last year, when all the orders for the 120-mm mines were given to one state plant, which failed all terms with a crack.

But in the case of NATO -caliber shells there are already severalCAU suppliers. And the question arises: why does the state find money to contract import, and does the domestic manufacturer send in the simple one next year?

AOZ ACCEN Zhumadilov is difficult to blame for Ukrainian companies, as many contracts for the same ammunition have been concluded with various Ukrainian and private companies. And in a conversation with the “defense”, he emphasizes that domestic factories, surprisingly, are better than foreign supply schedules, and are more predictable and less risky.

The official recognizes the problem, but believes that it lies in the plane of the regulator. It turns out The procurement system does not give any tools to provide preferences to the domestic manufacturerand in the worst case, he can also punish a civil servant who enters into a contract.

AOS Chairman Arsen Zhumadilov

“At the rules of the rules, it is not settled to give us the advantage of our manufacturers in purchases. If our manufacturer offers something 1000 euros per unit and then comes some importer and offers the same for 950 euros per unit – we will be forced to contract imports, even if the local manufacturer will bring taxes to the budget,” – said Zhumadilov.

He emphasizes that the key criterion for choosing a supplier by AOP is the offered price. Even if a lower price company is a foreign intermediary firm with a dubious owner and history-it will rather be refused in advance and will offer the conditions of post-payment . But the law does not provide grounds to allow AOP to reject this proposal and choose a more reliable domestic manufacturer at a slightly higher price.

“If we regulate the proposal more expensive, then we will come to law enforcement officers, calculate the difference, multiply by the number of products and calculate me the task of budget losses”, Said Zhumadilov.

It would seem that in the fourth year of a full -scale war and declaring the support of the Ukrainian manufacturer, the government should prescribe clear procurement rules that would legally prefer domestic companies with the proper quality of products.

In December last year there was an encouraging resolution №1504 Victory Weapons, the idea of ​​which is to form a list of weapons with a high percentage of localization in Ukraine. This list of government customers would have “consider” during the purchase of weapons.

But in practice, no contract has been concluded over the last 6 months. According to Zhumadilov, as of now “Victory Weapons” does not give a clear instruction to the procurement authorities, how to prefer the Ukrainian manufacturer. Whether it should be a price advantage or a priority contract for companies from the list is not clear, and accordingly public procurement simply does not take risks and work according to the usual rules.

It is not always possible to interrupt the import of importer during the auction, offering a lower price. All because AOP does not conduct any “auctions”. The manufacturer has only one attempt to submit the most competitive offer. If the price is at least 0.5% higher than the competitor, there is a high risk without a contract. The practice of trading in one step is the principle position of AOP chairman, because under such conditions, suppliers allegedly more incentives to immediately offer their lowest price.

It is also difficult to compete with the help of high quality products with domestic manufacturers, because the quality criterion for purchases is rarely taken into account. Zhumadilov says that it can excommunicate a company with low -quality bidding products only if there are many advertising on its product, and for many reasons, the military rarely leave complaints about arms.

Photo of unknown defeated 120mm mines from the front

Agency norms do not even provide the ability to diversify the risks. According to Zhumadilov, AOZ must first fully regulate the capacity of the manufacturer with the lowest price, even if it is a whole need for defense forces, and only then proceed to contracting other proposals, if there is money.

In other words, if you dig good, the chronic diseases of the AOP procurement system are much further than the problem of priority to domestic manufacturers.

The Ministry of Defense should be engaged in the formation of adequate procurement rules. But today, instead of the strategic construction of the competitive market of state and private producers, officials of the profile agency automatically contract all the cheapest, fearing to fall under criminal prosecution.

“Our purchasers have decided too early that we live in a price where the buyer dictates. The weapon market is the seller’s market! If you have your own production, you do not have. – he summed up with the “defense” one of the interlocutors in power, tangent to the weapon market.