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The US is scrambling to find what experts say may be the 'most important' hardware Ukraine needs to hold off Russia in 2023
Business Insider via Yahoo ^ | January 19th, 2023 | Michael Peck

Posted on 01/19/2023 7:19:47 PM PST by Mariner

Amid indications that Russia is planning to resume offensive operations in spring 2023, Ukraine's allies are scrambling to provide Ukraine with sufficient artillery ammunition.

But this requires scouring the globe for munitions to feed Ukraine's polyglot collection of Soviet-designed guns and the dizzying array of howitzers and rocket launchers supplied by various Western countries.

"Ammunition availability might be the single most important factor that determines the course of the war in 2023, and that will depend on foreign stockpiles and production," US defense experts Michael Kofman and Rob Lee wrote in December for the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

The US has vowed to ramp its munitions production. The US Army recently began searching for companies that can help assemble XM1128 155 mm extended-range howitzer ammunition.

(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bidenteamnews; michaelkofman; michaelpeck; notourwar; roblee
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I read during the cold war circa 1980 that the Red Army had 100 million 152mm shells in storage.

I wonder how much made it to 2022.

Russia is using 20,000 rounds per day and Ukraine about 5,000.

Ukraine is at a major disadvantage in this with their hodgepodge amalgamation of artillery.

1 posted on 01/19/2023 7:19:47 PM PST by Mariner
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To: Mariner

I would think that drones, ATGM and smart artillery shells would be in high demand.


2 posted on 01/19/2023 7:22:10 PM PST by taxcontrol (The choice is clear - either live as a slave on your knees or die as a free citizen on your feet.)
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To: Mariner

So...after environmental reports, construction, diversity hires, permits and getting a supply chain we can expect to see the first shells in 2030...

“The US has vowed to ramp its munitions production. The US Army recently began searching for companies that can help assemble XM1128 155 mm extended-range howitzer ammunition.”


3 posted on 01/19/2023 7:22:42 PM PST by 2banana (Common ground with islamic terrorists-they want to die for allah and we want to arrange the meeting)
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To: 2banana

What exactly is so important in Eastern Ukraine that makes it so vital for the U.S. to risk WW3 by getting involved?


4 posted on 01/19/2023 7:24:58 PM PST by imabadboy99
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To: taxcontrol

Yes, they are too.

But there is simply no substitute for tonnage.


5 posted on 01/19/2023 7:28:15 PM PST by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: Mariner
How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished! (2 Samuel 1:27)

See this past thread. How ridiculous was American production in World War 2? [images at link]. For instance, in the past, The United States built and launched 141 Aircraft Carriers of all classes during the war. To protect them we built 498 escort ships (Corvettes and Frigates) As well as 349 destroyers

This is Willow Run. It was a B-24 plant built by Ford to mass produce the bomber. It ran its line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and produced a complete B-24 every 63 minutes on average. At peak, it produced 100 bombers in just two days.

America had 18 dry docks building Liberty Ships during WW2. Whereas typically riveted ships of the day took months to build, the Liberty Ships went from nothing to ready to launch in an average of 42 days in those dry docks. They were welded instead of riveted, and only built for a 5-year life span. Forty-two days doesn’t seem very fast? Well I did say that was an average. The first Liberty ship took 230 days to complete. The fastest built ship took less than five days. That is a 14,000 ton ship from laying the keel to launch in less than five days. We built 2,710 of these ships during the war.

Between the nine plants, 49,234 Sherman tanks were built during the war, accounting for about half of the tanks the US produced during the war. Yeah, half again. -Quora ^ | 2019 | Chris Morehouse

6 posted on 01/19/2023 7:34:06 PM PST by daniel1212 (Turn to the Lord Jesus as a damned+destitute sinner, trust Him who saves, be baptized + follow Him!)
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To: Mariner

The Ukes need their Nukes.


7 posted on 01/19/2023 7:36:24 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: Mariner
But this requires scouring the globe for munitions to feed Ukraine.

Sorry we left it all in Afghanistan but I am sure most if it is for sale.

8 posted on 01/19/2023 7:39:32 PM PST by usurper
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To: Mariner

They just figured this out now? Ug, so glad it isn’t our guys running out of bullets.


9 posted on 01/19/2023 7:44:59 PM PST by dila813
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To: Mariner; daniel1212

“Russia is using 20,000 rounds per day and Ukraine about 5,000.”

At our peak in WWII the USA was making 300,000 artillery shells a day.

This war is horrible, but it is a useful lesson to us. When national survival is at stake all that really matters is how many tubes of steel filled with explosives you can deploy.

I hope this will focus our attention back on that.


10 posted on 01/19/2023 7:46:35 PM PST by Renfrew (Muscovia delenda est)
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To: imabadboy99

Do you long for the days when we had to stand by and watch the Soviets roll into Hungary and Czechoslovakia?


11 posted on 01/19/2023 7:53:17 PM PST by Redmen4ever
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To: 2banana

> The US Army recently began searching for companies that can help assemble XM1128 155 mm extended-range howitzer ammunition.”

It ain’t gonna get there in enough quantity in time to make a difference.


12 posted on 01/19/2023 7:55:36 PM PST by glorgau
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To: Mariner

The Washington Post reporting that CIA Director Burns told Zelensky the supply of US weapons won’t be indefinite as public opinion is moving against weapons for Ukraine here in the USA.


13 posted on 01/19/2023 7:58:03 PM PST by Nextrush (FREEDOM IS EVERBODY'S BUSINESS-REMEMBER PASTOR NIEMOLLER)
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To: Mariner

But we’re not at war. /s


14 posted on 01/19/2023 7:58:40 PM PST by RushIsMyTeddyBear
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To: Renfrew

Jeez, 5000 rounds would not even make a serious firefight in the war in Vietnam.


15 posted on 01/19/2023 7:59:13 PM PST by rdcbn1
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To: Renfrew

The US makes 15,000 shells a month. That’s it. Good luck ramping up production this year.

We were not prepared for the industrial war we have gotten ourselves into. The Russians never dismantled their MIC production capacity. We did. And we’re idiots for getting involved in this thing without being prepared.


16 posted on 01/19/2023 8:02:18 PM PST by Toad of Toad Hall (time is short and getting shorter)
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To: imabadboy99

Money laundering for the politically connected, like Hunter Biden.


17 posted on 01/19/2023 8:02:33 PM PST by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: FreedomPoster

And Milt Romney, Linda Grahmnasty.


18 posted on 01/19/2023 8:04:17 PM PST by Paladin2
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Comment #19 Removed by Moderator

To: Redmen4ever

By Soviets you mean Russians and Ukrainians, right?
Because Ukraine was a constituent state of the original USSR, unlike Hungry and Czech.


20 posted on 01/19/2023 8:04:41 PM PST by CapandBall
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