Russia is generating artillery shells about three times faster than Ukraine’s Western allies and for about a quarter of the cost, according to an investigation shared with Sky News.
The figures, prepared through the control consultancy Bain
The war was described from the beginning as a “shooting battle” due to the volume of artillery shells used.
This has prompted the U. S. , U. K. and other European allies to try to ramp up production at their respective factories, but their ability to manufacture artillery shells still lags behind Russia’s, despite a combined economic strength that far exceeds Moscow’s.
As a result, Ukrainian infantrymen on the front line say that for every shell fired at Russian positions, the invading troops can push back about five shells.
Against all odds, the Ukrainians say they have experts in making every turn count.
“Often, with just one, two or three shells, we can destroy a target,” said Lieutenant Kostiantin, commander of the 57th Brigade’s artillery battery, which is fighting a new Russian invasion in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.
But the commander said Ukrainian troops still had more supplies.
“We will have to continue to rein in the Russians. . . and make sure that every meter of land they take out at the right prices gives them a lot of lives. “
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Scarcity forces defenders to do so during practice.
Artillery shells made through Bain
In terms of cost, the average production cost corresponding to a 155mm projectile, the type produced by NATO countries, was around $4,000 (£3,160) per unit; It varies greatly from country to country. This compares to a Russian production cost of around £. 1,000 (£790) per 152mm shell used by the Russian Armed Forces.
Artillery is one of the many ammunition shortages Ukraine is facing.
Sky News visited an organisation of new recruits in the east of the country who were learning how to use an N-LAW anti-tank missile, first in the Ukrainian army across the UK.
They said that due to a lack of supplies, they claimed that they would only fire this weapon in education and that they would use it in actual combat, and then there would be reserves.
“We’re short of N-LAW and we want more,” said a soldier with the “Bolt” sign, who educates new infantrymen in a Fifth Brigade reconnaissance battalion.
Asked if he had any messages for the staff at the British factory that assembled the weapon, Bolt replied: “We would like to thank our Western partners for their help. But, if possible, we would be very grateful if you could supply us with more. NATO munitions.
Factories Can Win the War on the Front
The importance of generating weapons and ammunition is why many experts say factory production lines – and not the front line – may be the place where the war in Ukraine can be won.
In April, Sky News visited a factory in Belfast where the N-LAW missile is assembled through Thales, a defence company. The weapon is designed through the Swedish company Saab.
The assembly takes place in a giant room containing a combination of steel grinding machines and offices where delicate painting is done on small but important components.
At that time, the working hours on the production line were only four days a week, from 7 a. m. to 7 a. m. m. a. 4 p. m. , and it was thought that they would increase.
Thales also manufactures its own weapons there, the Starstreak, a short-range surface-to-air missile capable of destroying aircraft, and the soft multi-role missile (LMM). Both systems are also used in Ukraine.
The key to expanding in the UK
Philip McBride, chief executive of Thales Belfast, said N-LAW’s production capacity had doubled since the start of the year and there was room to double it again.
When asked why the expansion didn’t start until then, when full-scale war broke out in Russia in February 2022, he explained that it was due to several factors.
First, the UK Ministry of Defence supplies N-LAWS to Ukraine, and then Thales directly. The first missiles supplied to the Ukrainian army were those that the British Armed Forces already had in their own arsenals.
“They’ve agreed that, and then they’ll go through their own procurement process, they’ll agree what their genuine wishes are in the UK. . . and once they’ve done that, they’ll issue orders that allow us to expedite,” Mcbride said. . .
Another thing is that it can take up to two years to get the portions for the N-LAW.
However, when asked if the plant’s output would have been ramped up more quickly if the MoD had placed the orders earlier, the director-general replied: “The faster an order arrives, the faster we can ramp up production. “
A lot of work is being done at the factory to modernize the apparatus and allow for a further expansion of the production lines.
The number of workers has also increased: around 900 more people now work at the Belfast facility, compared to just 500 a few years ago.