Why the 155mm Shell Is One of the World’s Most Wanted Objects Now | WSJ Equipped 

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

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.

*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

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!

? 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 🕊☮🕊

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.

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".

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

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.

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.

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

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

i know a guy..

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%.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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

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.

I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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?

Liar

Bot shill

😂

exactly what I was thinkin

Someone mentioned it some earlier videos, pretty funny stuff lol@@wills2866

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...

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

Słyszałem że kraj z Bałkanów pomaga Ukrainie w tych amunicja.

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 .

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 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 ?

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

Perhaps world war two could serve as an example. The USA's military production totally outpaced that of the Germans and the Japanese.

Azov doesn't either. TBH I'm not sure America deserves them either the way they've been warring across the middle east since at least the 90's

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?

Israel is far more important than Ukraine It is not about the enemy it's about the side you care about If your mom was injured lightly and a stranger was in critical condition would you care more about your mom or the stranger The level of injury doesn't matter The side you care about the most does matter

@@baha3alshamari152 Bro, they bought our politicians (see AIPAC)

I don't think it's even close, in WW1 they had battery after battery firing 24/7 without stopping

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

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.

The war would end immediately if Putin withdraws his troops.

J's doing J stuff.

Now we are talking big guns.

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.

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!

Russia is spending about $600 per 152mm shell.

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

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.