The US Army is looking for new manufacturers to make 155mm howitzer shells because of the low stock of US weapons.
The Army wants to find US and Canadian companies that can make up to 12,000 M795 155mm high-explosive shells a month.
The M795 is the standard shell for Army and Marine 155mm howitzers and would be the prime ammunition for any US-designed 155mm howitzers sent toUkraine.
The US sent 126 cannons and more than one million rounds of 155mm bullets to Ukraine. The Pentagon is worried about the low levels of American bullets.
Kyiv is certain to demand more shells as the fight for the Russian-Ukrainian War becomes a battle of competing killing weapons. Ukrainian officials said in June that Ukrainian forces were firing 6,000 shells a day.
The US Army wants to increase production of 155mm bullets.
To identify potential sources within the United States and Canada that can load, assemble, and pack, the Army's Project Manager Combat Ammunition Systems is doing market research.
If they have made similar items in the past, they need to demonstrate existing production capacity, projected monthly production and delivery capability of 12,000 projectiles per month, maximum monthly production capacity, and if they have made this item before.
The government would give "projectile metal parts, rotating band covers, wooden pallets, lifting plugs, IMX 101 explosives and additional charges." The contractor would need to procure its own material.
The Pentagon doesn't know how many shells it wants to make.
The 155mm shell production that had been approved by Congress was going to be cut by the Army. $600 million in emergency Defense Production Act spending was approved by legislators to expand US shell and missile production capacity. It can take a year or more to expand production capacity.
The Army's Joint Munitions Command wouldn't say if the market survey is about expanding shell production or just identifying new manufacturers.
Justine Barati said that the market survey can be used to support any number of service requirements.
In 1999 the M795 was deployed. The fuze is 33 inches long and 103 pounds.
The high-fragmentation steel projectile has a lower risk of accidental detonation because it is armed with less explosives.
The kill radius of the M795 is about 55 yards. It can be used against personnel, trucks, electronic surveillance and target acquisition devices, supply points, command and control and communications, and mechanized and armored forces.
The range of the M795 is 14 miles, which is 14 miles longer than the 1950s-era M107 shells that it replaced, but still short of the 45 mile range of Russian weapons.
In the Ukraine war, the side with the longest-range artillery can destroy enemy guns while remaining safe out of range of fire.
The US has sent 155mm shells toUkraine. The Excalibur shells can hit within a few feet of their targets.
The far cheaper M795 is more economical for the rate at which Ukraine is firing its weapons than the expensiveGPS-guided rounds. The Pentagon will spend nearly $100 million to replenish its Excalibur stock.
The US is not the only country with a problem with bullets. South Korea is being asked by Canada to replenish its stock of 155mm shells.
His work has been published in Forbes, Defense News, Foreign Policy magazine, and other publications. He has a masters degree in political science. You can follow him on social networking sites.
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