2014 Russia-Ukraine War
155 mm NATO-standard Ammunition in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
155 mm NATO-standard ammunition has been supplied to and used by Ukrainian forces in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War as the main ammunition family for Western 155 mm artillery fire support.
Timeline
155 mm NATO-standard ammunition In 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
First U.S. 155 mm howitzer-and-round package announced
The U.S. Department of Defense announced an $800 million drawdown for Ukraine that included 18 155 mm howitzers and 40,000 artillery rounds.
U.S. rollup lists 144,000 artillery rounds
The U.S. security-assistance rollup listed 72 155 mm howitzers and 144,000 artillery rounds in the April 21 package for Ukraine.
Sources: Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance for Ukraine - Apr. 21, 2022
U.S. commitment reaches 260,000 rounds
The U.S. Department of Defense listed 126 155 mm howitzers and 260,000 155 mm artillery rounds among security assistance committed to Ukraine.
Sources: Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine - June 17, 2022
EU funds joint 155 mm procurement
The Council of the European Union approved a European Peace Facility measure financing jointly procured 155-mm-calibre artillery rounds for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Sources: EU Joint Procurement of Ammunition and Missiles for Ukraine
NATO describes 155 mm ammunition as common in Ukrainian use
NATO's secretary general identified 155 mm ammunition as the most commonly used munition in the war in Ukraine or by Ukrainian forces while discussing battle-decisive ammunition and standardization.
U.S. fact sheet lists more than three million rounds
A U.S. security-assistance fact sheet listed more than 3,000,000 155 mm artillery rounds, more than 7,000 precision-guided 155 mm rounds, and more than 100,000 155 mm RAAM rounds committed to Ukraine.
Sources: Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine - Jan. 9, 2025
Rheinmetall announces new Ukrainian order
Rheinmetall said Ukraine had commissioned a low five-figure quantity of 155 mm artillery shells and propellant charges, with delivery expected by the first quarter of 2027.
Sources: Rheinmetall Supplies 155 mm Artillery Ammunition to Ukraine
Documented Use
Direct proof of use
Official and institutional sources tie 155 mm NATO-standard ammunition directly to Ukrainian artillery operations after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described 155 mm ammunition in July 2023 as the most commonly used munition in the war in Ukraine or by Ukrainian forces, while a NATO Lessons Learned Portal curriculum said Ukrainian forces typically used 143,000 artillery rounds per month in 2023 and identified 155 mm artillery ammunition among the shell categories under shortage pressure.
U.S. Department of Defense assistance records show the ammunition's transfer path. The April 2022 security-assistance rollout included 155 mm howitzers and artillery rounds for Ukraine, and the January 2025 U.S. security-assistance fact sheet listed more than 200 155 mm howitzers, more than 3,000,000 155 mm artillery rounds, more than 7,000 precision-guided 155 mm artillery rounds, and more than 100,000 155 mm Remote Anti-Armor Mine rounds committed to Ukraine.
Sources: NATO Pre-Summit Press Conference July 2023, Russian War Against Ukraine Lessons Curriculum, Howitzers, Helicopters, Humvees Headed to Ukraine, Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine - Jan. 9, 2025
Supply and procurement timeline
The United States first publicly announced 155 mm howitzers and 40,000 artillery rounds in an April 13, 2022 drawdown package, then rolled that support into a larger April 21 package listing 72 155 mm howitzers and 144,000 artillery rounds. By June 17, 2022, U.S. assistance records listed 126 155 mm howitzers and 260,000 155 mm artillery rounds committed to Ukraine.
European procurement followed as the war became an artillery-intensive campaign. In May 2023, the Council of the European Union approved a European Peace Facility measure to finance jointly procured 155-mm-calibre artillery rounds for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, part of an effort aimed at one million artillery rounds for Ukraine within twelve months. In June 2026, Rheinmetall announced that Ukraine had commissioned a further low five-figure quantity of 155 mm shells and propellant charges, with delivery expected by the first quarter of 2027.
Sources: Howitzers, Helicopters, Humvees Headed to Ukraine, Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine - June 17, 2022, EU Joint Procurement of Ammunition and Missiles for Ukraine, Rheinmetall Supplies 155 mm Artillery Ammunition to Ukraine
Narrative
In this conflict record, 155 mm NATO-standard ammunition is best understood as a family of compatible artillery rounds and charge components rather than as a single projectile model. Its documented role is Ukrainian fire support enabled by Western 155 mm guns, including towed and self-propelled systems supplied by partner states. The parent ammunition family includes unguided high-explosive rounds, precision-guided 155 mm rounds, and specialized rounds such as 155 mm RAAM, but the open sources usually report the family-level ammunition category rather than one lot or projectile type.
The ammunition's conflict use is also an industrial and logistics story. U.S. Army reporting described Joint Munitions Command support to Ukraine as centered mainly on 155 mm artillery rounds, while Modern War Institute analysis noted that U.S. M107-family high-explosive projectiles and related 155 mm rounds became a core part of Ukraine's 155 mm artillery ammunition supply. U.S., EU, NATO, and manufacturer sources all describe continued production expansion, joint procurement, or direct orders because Ukrainian 155 mm artillery demand outpaced normal peacetime stock and production assumptions.
Sources: DELIVERING AT SPEED, Guns and Ammo: The Ukraine War and NATO's Ammunition Interoperability Problem, Munitions for Ukraine: Observations and Recommendations, Rheinmetall Supplies 155 mm Artillery Ammunition to Ukraine
Related Weapons by Role
Sources
- Howitzers, Helicopters, Humvees Headed to UkrainePublisher: U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War transfer context by reporting that the April 13, 2022 drawdown package sent to Ukraine included 18 155 mm howitzers and 40,000 artillery rounds. | Accessed: 2026-07-02
- Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance for Ukraine - Apr. 21, 2022Publisher: U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War transfer context by listing 72 155 mm howitzers and 144,000 artillery rounds in the April 21, 2022 Ukraine security-assistance package. | Accessed: 2026-07-02
- Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine - June 17, 2022Publisher: U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War transfer context by listing 126 155 mm howitzers and 260,000 155 mm artillery rounds committed to Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-07-02
- Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine - Jan. 9, 2025Publisher: U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War transfer context by listing U.S. security assistance to Ukraine that included more than 3,000,000 155 mm artillery rounds, more than 7,000 precision-guided 155 mm rounds, and more than 100,000 155 mm RAAM rounds. | Accessed: 2026-07-02
- NATO Pre-Summit Press Conference July 2023Publisher: NATO | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context by describing 155 mm ammunition as the most commonly used munition in the war in Ukraine or by Ukrainian forces. | Accessed: 2026-07-02
- Russian War Against Ukraine Lessons CurriculumPublisher: NATO Lessons Learned Portal | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context by stating that Ukrainian forces typically used 143,000 artillery rounds monthly in 2023 and identifying 155 mm artillery ammunition among the shell categories affected by high usage and shortages. | Accessed: 2026-07-02
- DELIVERING AT SPEEDPublisher: The United States Army | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War supply and fielding context by describing Joint Munitions Command support to Ukraine as mainly 155 mm artillery rounds that bolstered Ukrainian defensive and offensive capabilities. | Accessed: 2026-07-02
- EU Joint Procurement of Ammunition and Missiles for UkrainePublisher: Council of the European Union | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War transfer context by financing provision of jointly procured 155-mm-calibre artillery rounds to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. | Accessed: 2026-07-02
- Rheinmetall Supplies 155 mm Artillery Ammunition to UkrainePublisher: Rheinmetall | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War supply context by reporting that Ukraine commissioned Rheinmetall to supply a low five-figure quantity of 155 mm artillery shells and propellant charges with production underway. | Accessed: 2026-07-02
- Guns and Ammo: The Ukraine War and NATO's Ammunition Interoperability ProblemPublisher: Modern War Institute at West Point | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War fielding context by discussing Ukraine's 155 mm artillery ammunition supply, M107-family high-explosive rounds, and compatibility issues across NATO-standard components. | Accessed: 2026-07-02
- Munitions for Ukraine: Observations and RecommendationsPublisher: The United States Army | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War supply and standardization context by describing EU delivery and joint procurement of 155 mm ammunition for Ukraine and the role of NATO-standard ammunition interchangeability. | Accessed: 2026-07-02