Russia upgrades artillery plant with European machinery

Russia has expanded production of artillery barrels and tank guns at its key defense facility, Plant No. 9, after acquiring European industrial machinery, according to a recent report by the Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi.

The publication cited Russian procurement documents obtained and analyzed by Frontelligence Insight in cooperation with the analytical company Dallas.

Plant No. 9, located in Yekaterinburg within the Uralmash industrial zone, is the primary manufacturer of barrel artillery systems in Russia. The facility produces artillery barrels for the 2S35 Koalitsiya self-propelled howitzer and the 2S19 Msta system, as well as tank guns for the T-90, T-14 Armata, and modernized T-62 and T-72 tanks. The plant also manufactures naval rocket depth-charge launchers RBU-1000 and RBU-6000 and is the original developer of the Soviet-era D-30 howitzer, which remains in use by Russian forces in Ukraine.

The expansion addresses a critical issue facing Russian forces: the rapid wear of artillery barrels during high-intensity combat operations in Ukraine. Although drone warfare has grown in prominence, artillery continues to account for a large share of battlefield losses.

As stated in the report: “The war has increasingly become a war of drones, but this does not mean that other means of warfare have lost their relevance.” The analysis concludes that “as of 2025 roughly one quarter to one third of battlefield losses are still caused by artillery and mortar fire.”

The procurement documents reviewed by Frontelligence Insight show that Plant No. 9 has been undergoing reconstruction and technical re-equipment. Six facilities were identified for modernization, including two metalworking workshops and a galvanic production facility. One building, referred to as MSK, is being converted into an integrated production complex for serial manufacture of components for the 152 mm 2A88 artillery system used in the Koalitsiya platform. The facility includes Workshop No. 23 for machining and manual finishing, and Workshop No. 25 for assembly, painting, preservation, packaging, and shipment.

The key finding, according to the report, is that the expansion relies heavily on Western-origin machinery. The documents list at least 22 large industrial machines designated for installation. These include equipment from Taiwan’s KAFO and Glory, Italy’s TACCHI and PARPAS, Germany’s DMG MORI, LIEBHERR, and HERMLE AG, and Britain’s JONES & SHIPMAN.

Among the systems identified are the KAFO VMC-21100+ vertical milling machining center, the Glory APC 24S NC CNC centerless grinding machine, TACCHI HD/3 multifunctional CNC turning centers, DMG MORI DMC 650V vertical milling machines, and LIEBHERR LC500 gear hobbing machines. The documents indicate that these machines are intended for precision machining and gear shaping essential to barrel and gun production.

Despite sanctions imposed by the European Union, the United States, Ukraine, Japan, and Switzerland, modernization at the plant has continued since at least 2016. As of April 2025, contractor ZAO “Zenit-Investprom” had prepared and delivered updated design documentation for the facility. The analysis concludes that such expansion “would be impossible without access to Western-origin machinery and technology.”

The report also details Russian ammunition production figures. In 2024, the Russian army received 1.428 million 120 mm mortar rounds. In 2025, deliveries increased to 1.961 million, a 37.3 percent rise. Orders for 152 mm artillery shells totaled 1.558 million in 2024 and 1.717 million in 2025, an increase of 10.2 percent year over year.

The findings suggest sustained domestic production rather than reliance solely on imported ammunition from Iran or North Korea, which Russian forces previously used to offset shortages.