Germany orders 155mm shells for Ukraine from France

This is reported by Defense Express. 

According to the German Defense Ministry's press service, this framework deal is part of the EU ammunition agreement to speed up the supply of ammunition to Ukraine, and it also includes a long-term perspective of increasing artillery ammunition production in Europe to replenish artillery shells.

In relation to Ukraine, Germany has ordered 68,000 high-explosive munitions from a French defense business under the framework agreement indicated above. The transaction is valued EUR 278 million.

That is, under this arrangement, the price of a single 155-mm artillery round is already at EUR 4,088. This is, of course, half the EUR 8,000 previously announced by NATO, but it is also nearly EUR 800 more expensive when compared, for example, to the contract for the supply of ammunition to Ukraine signed by Germany with Rheinmetall in October of this year, under which the price of a single 155-mm shell was about EUR 3,300.

It's also worth noting that Germany has usually handed contracts to Rheinmetall, and the country most likely went to another company due to the German firm's heavy order load. For example, Rheinmetall obtained another deal in early December to supply 40,000 rounds of ammunition to Ukraine, with a 2025 deadline.