155 mm NATO ammunition

155 mm NATO ammunition is the standardized artillery ammunition family used by compatible NATO and NATO-standard 155 mm guns and howitzers. It exists as a relationship-only catalog page because its main value is the documented compatibility link to cataloged artillery systems such as the AH-1 / PLL01 family rather than standalone conflict-use history.

155 mm NATO ammunition, 155 mm standard artillery ammunition for 39-, 45-, and 52-caliber howitzers, Munitions

Image source: Canadian War Museum artillery shell artifact

Profile

Origin: NATO standard / multiple countries
Built by: Multiple NATO and NATO-compatible ammunition producers
Built in: Multiple countries
Type: 155 mm standard artillery ammunition for 39-, 45-, and 52-caliber howitzers

NATO artillery munitions 155 mm

Specifications

Caliber: 155 mm
Compatibility: Documented for 39-, 45-, and 52-caliber NATO artillery systems
Representative chamber: 23-liter chamber noted in NATO-standard references for 155 mm projectiles
Role: Standard indirect-fire artillery ammunition
Type examples: High-explosive, base-bleed, and other 155 mm projectile families

Service And Conflict Use

Service History

In service: Standard ammunition family for compatible 155 mm artillery systems

Compatible Howitzers

This page records the standard 155 mm ammunition family and its documented compatibility with the AH-1 / PLL01 gun-howitzer family.

Compatible system	Type	Evidence
AH-1 155 mm Howitzer	155 mm towed gun-howitzer	The AH-1 / PLL01 family source identifies the system as firing NATO-standard 155 mm ammunition and using a 23-liter chamber.

155 mm NATO ammunition Images

155 mm NATO ammunition, 155 mm standard artillery ammunition for 39-, 45-, and 52-caliber howitzers, Munitions - view 1 — Source: Canadian War Museum artillery shell artifact

155 mm NATO ammunition, 155 mm standard artillery ammunition for 39-, 45-, and 52-caliber howitzers, Munitions - view 2 — Source: Canadian War Museum artillery shell artifact

Related Weapon Systems

155 mm NATO-standard ammunition, 155 mm artillery ammunition family compatible with 39-caliber guns, Munitions

Munitions155 mm NATO-standard ammunition155 mm artillery ammunition family compatible with 39-caliber guns155 mm NATO-standard ammunition is the shared Western artillery ammunition family organized around NATO JBMOU and STANAG requirements. It covers a range of shell and charge combinations for 155 mm guns, including 39-caliber systems such as the AH-4 when configured for western-made 155 mm rounds.

Bofors 155mm BONUS munition, 155 mm artillery-launched, fire-and-forget anti-armor munition, Munitions

MunitionsBofors 155mm BONUS munition155 mm artillery-launched, fire-and-forget anti-armor munitionBONUS is a Swedish-French 155 mm artillery-launched, fire-and-forget anti-armor munition that carries two sensor-fuzed submunitions. BAE Systems says it is compatible with most existing 155 mm artillery guns, and FMV says it is used with Sweden's Archer artillery system.

L15 High Explosive, 155 mm high-explosive artillery shell, Munitions

MunitionsL15 High Explosive155 mm high-explosive artillery shellBAE Systems describes L15 High Explosive as a British 155 mm shell for a range of 155 mm guns. The round uses a high-tensile steel body, a user-selected fuze, and a thin wall optimized for fragmentation and blast effect; FAS identifies AS-90 as firing the NATO L15 unassisted projectile.

M2005 V-LAP 155 mm shell, 155 mm rocket-assisted base-bleed shell, Munitions

MunitionsM2005 V-LAP 155 mm shell155 mm rocket-assisted base-bleed shellThe M2005 V-LAP is Rheinmetall Denel Munition's South African 155 mm Velocity Enhanced Long Range Artillery Projectile. Rheinmetall describes it as part of the Assegai artillery family, with rocket-assist and base-bleed range extension, high fragmentation effect, and compatibility with 155 mm weapon systems that use suitable NATO-standard fuzes and JBMoU-compatible modular charges.

M549A1 rocket-assisted projectile, 155 mm high-explosive rocket-assisted projectile, Munitions

MunitionsM549A1 rocket-assisted projectile155 mm high-explosive rocket-assisted projectileThe M549A1 is a U.S. 155 mm high-explosive rocket-assisted projectile and the TNT-filled follow-on to the earlier M549 round. Army references describe it as a two-piece projectile with a high-fragmentation steel warhead and integral rocket motor, built to extend range for standard and developmental howitzers and later treated as a legacy round in Army modernization plans.

M982 Excalibur guided artillery projectile, 155 mm GPS/INS-guided artillery projectile, Munitions

MunitionsM982 Excalibur guided artillery projectile155 mm GPS/INS-guided artillery projectileM982 Excalibur is a co-developed U.S.-Swedish 155 mm precision artillery projectile that gives compatible howitzers first-round guided effects at extended range. In this catalog it is documented with U.S.-led coalition use in Operation Inherent Resolve and U.S. fielding and combat-use evidence from the War in Afghanistan.

Sources

155mm PLL01Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports the AH-1 / PLL01 family background and the claim that the gun-howitzer fires NATO-standard 155 mm ammunition with a 23-liter chamber. | Accessed: 2026-06-23 PLZ45 NATO ammunition compatibilityPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports compatibility context for 45-caliber 155 mm systems firing NATO standard ammunition. | Accessed: 2026-06-23 Elbit Systems M454Publisher: Elbit Systems | Note: Supports the 155 mm NATO ammunition family context, including compatibility with 39-, 45-, and 52-caliber guns and the range class of a representative 155 mm projectile. | Accessed: 2026-06-23 Elbit Systems ATMOS 155mm howitzerPublisher: Elbit Systems | Note: Supports the compatibility context for qualified 155 mm ammunition used by NATO and other countries. | Accessed: 2026-06-23 Canadian War Museum artillery shell artifactPublisher: Canadian War Museum | Note: Supports image provenance for a representative artillery shell image used on this page. | Accessed: 2026-06-23