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Russia to Ramp Up Upgraded Artillery Shell Production 25-Fold 

Russia will ramp up the production of Krasnopol-M2 guided artillery shells by 25 times in 2024, according to the munition’s manufacturer.

The 155mm M2 is an upgrade on the 152mm Krasnopol featuring a range of 26 kilometers (16 miles) compared to the Krasnopol’s 20 kilometers (12 miles).

“Our popular Krasnopol-M2 – next year the growth relative to the initial production capacity will exceed 25 times. We are confident that we will cope with this task,” TASS quoted KBP Instrument Design Bureau’s managing director Vyacheslav Kovalev as saying.

He added that the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade would help the company increase its production capacity.

Krasnopol-M2

One of the main features of the modified munition is its ability to hit moving targets, significantly increasing its strike rate.

According to TASS, the laser-directed munition’s flight path can be tweaked in real time.

Krasnopol artillery projectile
Krasnopol guided artillery projectile. Image: Wikipedia

To Reduce Shell Consumption

The upgraded shell’s greater accuracy would help reduce shell consumption in the ongoing Ukraine war.

“If you shoot from 152-mm cannon artillery at a distance of 8-10 kilometers (5-6 miles) to the target, then the consumption of shells will be about 50-70 units, and this will be the norm,” editor of the Russian Arsenal of the Fatherland military journal Alexei Leonkov said.

“Now imagine that the same target is carried out by Krasnopol-M with one shot.” 

The Krasnopol features an eight-kilogram (17-pound) warhead and can be launched from a range of self-propelled artillery systems, such as the Msta-S, Msta-SM, and Koalitsiya-SV.

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