France and Australia will supply artillery shells to Ukraine

Defense Ministers of France and Austarila — Sébastien Lecornu and Richard Marles — announced readiness to supply ammunition to Ukraine at a meeting held on January 30, 2023.

The news was published by Le Monde.

According to Sébastien Lecornu, thousands of 155-mm shells for Ukraine will be produced by the French arms supplier Nexter.

The project will cost “many millions of dollars,” as to Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles.

The Minister of Defense of France announced that the first deliveries are planned for the first quarter of 2023.

“The ammunition supplies fit into the ongoing level of support both France and Australia are providing Ukraine to make sure Ukraine is able to stay in this conflict and see it concluded on its own terms,” the Australian minister added.

“There are some unique capabilities that exist in Australia and some synergies that can be achieved by Australia and France working together” to manufacture the shells, added Marles.

While Nexter will manufacture the gunpowder, Australia will supply it, according to Lecornu, who did not elaborate further.

155mm artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The Ukrainian army is armed with a significant number of various trailed, wheeled and tracked 155mm artillery systems.

The majority of them were received by the Armed Forces as part of the military assistance provided to Ukraine by allied countries after the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The 155-mm caliber is the standard for field artillery of the divisional link of NATO countries. It differs from the 152-mm caliber adopted by the USSR and inherited by Ukraine.

You can read more about modern NATO-caliber artillery used in the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Militarnyi’s article on “155mm Artillery of Ukraine“.