Significant aid for Ukraine: This Eastern country outshines all of Europe with indirect supplies
5:42 PM EST, December 8, 2023
Artillery ammunition is currently paramount for Ukrainian defense. Its monthly consumption astonishingly reaches up to 90,000 units. While no country's production output can entirely support this level of demand, a certain player from the Far East has become a significant actor in indirectly meeting Ukraine's needs, surpassing every European country.
As covered by The Korea Times, South Korea, under an agreement with the United States, has provided 330,000 artillery shells to the Americans. It's unclear whether these munitions are used to replenish the American arsenal, reduced after supplying Ukraine, or if they are ultimately shipped to Ukraine as part of the U.S.'s military aid.
Sources from the Washington Post suggest South Korea agreed to this supply under the condition that the ammunition would not be sent directly to Ukraine. These deliveries started at the beginning of 2023 and have already surpassed the combined amount from European countries, which totals just over 224,000 shells.
An Insight into South Korea's Production
The likely supplier for the artillery ammunition produced in South Korea is Poongsan Corporation, a local heavyweight that produces a wide range of products, from ammunition for small arms to caliber 155 artillery shells.
These include three types of caliber 155 mm artillery shells. The oldest type is the KM107 shells, licensed by the American M107 and produced in South Korea. These are basic shells, weighing approximately 92.4 lbs and containing approximately 14.55 lbs of TNT, fitted into a cast shell. These are typically used with long-barrel artillery systems such as the K9 Thunder or the Polish Krab, featuring a range of about 18.64 miles.
The second type includes the more recent K307 shells, weighed at 102.29 lbs and equipped with a gas generator that extends the firing range up to 25.47 miles. The generator, located at the base of the shell, reduces the vacuum, limiting the shell's resistance. The importance of this setup is that the shell decelerates less quickly, thereby extending its range.
The latest model, currently under development, is a shell equipped with both a gas generator and a rocket booster ER (Extended Range), boasting a range of 37.28 miles. Testing for this model should conclude in 2024. This shell, compared to K307, accommodates less TNT due to the need for space to house a supply of rocket fuel and its associated engine, as seen in the model's diagrams. These supplies are expected to become available from 2024 onward.
