US awards $522M contracts for ammunition for Ukraine

“The orders went to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. and Global Military Products Inc. Deliveries of the new ammunition are scheduled to begin in March of this year,” The Defense Post reports.

The contract is funded by the Pentagon’s Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

In November a US official said Russian forces were firing about 20,000 artillery rounds a day. Ukraine’s rate was between 4,000 and 7,000 rounds per day — faster than allied Western manufacturers can produce to keep pace. The rates have plunged since then, as the winter set in and both sides face shortages and conserve ammunition.

As reported, the German Rheinmetall concern will produce ammunition for Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns which, in particular, are actively used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.