Reuters: NATO summit to decide on standardization of artillery shells

At next week's summit in Washington, D.C., NATO intends to announce commitments to the defense industry for the first time, urging countries to increase arms production and adhere to stricter ammunition standardization to make shells interchangeable on the battlefield.

Reuters learned this from a NATO official who spoke on condition of anonymity, according to Yevropeiska Pravda.

NATO enforces standards for projectiles used by small arms such as assault rifles. This allows Allies to use each other's ammunition. However, the situation is not so simple with artillery shells.

Although there is a NATO standard for artillery ammunition, its implementation is voluntary, and the lack of compliance with this standard has led to market fragmentation and impeded the flow of supplies.

Fourteen NATO countries have reserved the right to deviate from the standard, which means that there are different types of 155mm ammunition.

"Ukraine has shown that our standardization was good on paper, but not so good on the battlefield," said a NATO official, referring to ammunition such as 155mm artillery shells.

According to artillery experts, different ammunition can be used in all howitzers, but operators must take into account the specification of the shells when loading them into the weapon, otherwise they risk missing the target by 50 or 60 meters.

The specifications are listed in tables used by operators, but officials say companies sometimes do not provide all the necessary data - and NATO is looking to change that. The alliance is also seeking more common standards, which would mean simpler and shorter tables.

"A world in which there was one standardized NATO ammunition, where all Allies produced the same ammunition, would be much easier for military commanders," said a NATO official.

"Because then you would have no doubt that everybody was using the same munition. You could take the ammunition from this storage facility and move it to these howitzers, and that would be the most efficient way of doing things," he added.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 05/07/2024