The German Parliament’s Budget Committee has approved the procurement of over 700 million euros ($768 million) worth of ammunition for the German military and Ukraine.
The procurement includes ammunition for the Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzer, the Leopard 2 main battle tank, and the Puma infantry fighting vehicle.
A total of 118 million euros ($130 million) in 155mm high-performance howitzer ammunition will be purchased for the German military, the German Ministry of Defense stated.
The shell has a maximum range of 30 kilometers (18.64 miles).
This is in addition to an earlier acquisition of tens of thousands of 155mm shells.
The procurement includes proximity fuses that improve the shell’s strike rate.
Additional fuses would help replenish German stocks depleted due to deliveries to Ukraine.
155mm Howitzer Shells for Ukraine
The procurement includes the purchase of 155mm high explosive ammunition to support Ukraine for around 128 million euros ($140 million).
A part of the ammunition would be delivered to Ukraine within two years while the rest would go to replenish depleted German military stocks later this year.
The shell comes with fuses, propellants, and primers compatible with a range of NATO artillery systems such as the M777.
Leopard’s Main Gun Shell
The budget committee approved the increased procurement of 120-millimeter ammunition for the Leopard tank’s main gun for 381 million euros ($417. 91 million).
The committee also approved 67.6 million euros ($74 million) to purchase 30 mm shells for the Puma vehicle and 131 million euros ($143 million) for 7.62-millimeter caliber training rounds for MG3 and MG5 machine guns.