Czech-led coalition expands support for Ukraine with significant ammunition aid

The Czech ammunition initiative is gaining momentum, as it now includes 10 countries, with Lithuania and Luxembourg being the latest participants. The declared funds cover the purchase of 65,000 rounds and £348 million, but the real value of support could be higher since not all countries have disclosed the exact amounts of their support.

The ammunition is to come from suppliers from countries outside the European Union, which so far have tried to remain neutral in the conflict. A possible supplier could be South Korea, although its production capabilities may already be utilized under an agreement with the USA. Another source could be Turkey, which does not restrict defense sector companies from cooperating with Ukraine, as the example of Bayraktar TB2 drones confirms.

Strong opposition from Greece regarding the use of European funds to purchase ammunition outside the European Union may indicate this. However, it seems that the form of bilateral cooperation within the coalition of willing countries has prevailed and accelerated this process.

We are talking about 500,000 pieces of 155 mm caliber rounds and 300,000 pieces of 122 mm caliber. Considering the huge volume of rounds and their estimated value of £1.27 billion, it can be stated that these are the simplest versions of artillery rounds with a blunt rear end. They are designed in a very simple way — consisting only of a cast steel body, which is filled with several kilograms of TNT and a fuse screwed onto their tip.

The 155 mm caliber rounds, used by NATO countries, usually contain from 9 to 10 kilograms of TNT, offering significant destructive capabilities. In the case of simpler versions, they can effectively hit targets within a range of up to 24 km using cannon systems of 39 calibres in length, such as the AS90 howitzer. For systems with a 52-calibre length cannon, which can give the rounds higher velocity, such as the Polish Krab, the range increases to about 31 km.

Due to costs, these rounds do not stand out for extraordinary precision. Their accuracy at maximum distance allows hitting an area the size of a football field. There is a possibility that Ukraine will also receive slightly more expensive versions of the rounds with a gas generator, which increase the range by about 30 percent. In contrast, the performance of 122 mm caliber rounds, part of the Soviet heritage, is less impressive. They contain about 2.5 kilograms of explosive material and enable shelling at a distance of up to about 15 km.