Ukraine, 'Israel' depleting US shells stocks, prompting $871mln. order
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The US Army has ordered a large amount of electronic fuses, as it struggles to maintain a fixed supply of artillery munition.
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A Ukrainian soldier installs a fuze for a 155 mm artillery shell before firing a US-supplied M777 howitzer in Kharkov, on July 14, 2022. (AP)
The US Army has put in an order worth upward of $871 million for electronic fuses, which are attached to its 105mm and 155m artillery shells, the Department of Defense announced in a press release on Friday.
"L3 Fuzing and Ordnance Systems [of] Cincinnati, Ohio was awarded an $871,583,197 ...contract for M762A1/M767A1 electronic timing fuses," the release said on Friday.
The company will be given five years to complete the delivery of the order, estimated to be completed by Jan 4, 2029, according to the Pentagon.
All US Army howitzers fire shells that hold electronic fuzes, which are responsible for the detonation of the rounds. The technology differs from pure mechanical fuzes, which trigger the detonation process via a firing pin released on impact.
The US has battled with shortages of the compartments used for its artillery shells, specifically 155mm rounds, due to Ukrainian demand. Ukrainian Armed Forces have consumed a large sum of the West's production, especially of artillery shells, as its war strategy has heavily relied on shelling large areas with barrages of shells, to cover up for impotent ground attacks.
Although the Pentagon nearly doubled its spending on artillery shells, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the country will seek to quadruple 155mm production, as its allies run through the supplies in key areas where American hegemony is being challenged. The news of a large order made, for a single compartment of the shell, comes in line with the Pentagon's efforts to maintain a stable supply of the munition.
An official at the Estonian Ministry of Defense highlighted the high cost of Western munition relative to those deployed by Russia. Kusti Salma told The New York Times at an earlier time that Western countries pay $5,000 to $6,000 to acquire a single 155mm round, while the Russian Armed Forces pay just $600 for their widely used 152mm shell.
"Israel's" aggression on the Gaza Strip and South Lebanon has also eaten into American 155mm supplies, as the occupation shells the aforementioned territories around the clock. The Israeli occupation forces' tactics during its ground invasion in the Gaza Strip necessitated the heavy use of shells, and infantry and commandos Brigades refused to enter the treacherous neighborhoods without guaranteed "cover fire".
Moreover, in the context of its unwavering support to the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, the US cleared a $147.5 million foreign military sale of M107 155mm ammunition and supporting equipment, in late December, highlighting crazed demand for the rounds.
