Europian defense conglomerate Rheinmetall announced on Tuesday that it has received a further order for 155mm artillery shells destined for Ukraine under a framework agreement with the German military.
The third call-off, it encompasses the delivery of over a hundred thousand 155mm shells from the Group’s new Spanish subsidiary Rheinmetall Expal Munitions as well as additional DM 121 high-explosive rounds. Although the customer is the German government, all the ammunition is earmarked for Ukraine. The order is worth a figure in the mid-three-digit million-euro range. Tens of thousands of rounds are to be delivered in 2023, with the reminder due to ship in 2024.
As recently as July 2023, Rheinmetall announced the signing of a new framework agreement for artillery ammunition with the Bundeswehr and the expansion of an existing agreement. The contracts encompass the delivery of several hundred thousand shells, fuses and propelling charges.
The war in Ukraine has compelled the armed forces of numerous nations to replenish their ammunition stocks. In this context, Rheinmetall has already booked several large orders for artillery ammunition.
The framework agreement for 155mm artillery ammunition concluded in July runs until 2029 and represents gross potential order volume of around €1.2 billion. Two large call-offs have already been made.
Among other products, Rheinmetall’s family of artillery ammunition includes the high-explosive DM121 shell, the DM125 smoke/obscurant projectile and (jointly developed with Diehl) the DM702 SMArt sensor fuse munition, plus the RH68 practice round and the range-optimized RH1901 an RH1902 smoke/obscurant projectiles. The Group’s portfolio also includes the versatile 155mm Assegai family from Rheinmetall Denel Munition, which encompasses insensitive ammunition and conventional HE shells as well as smoke/obscurant, illumination, infrared illumination and other projectiles. All Assegai artillery ammunition types have a maximum range of approximately 40 kilometres. Under the latest framework agreement, the tried-and-tested Assegai ammunition family will now be entering service with the Bundeswehr.