BONUS is a Swedish-French 155 mm artillery projectile that ejects two sensor-fuzed submunitions over an armor target area. BAE Systems describes it as a fire-and-forget round compatible with most existing 155 mm artillery guns, while conflict reporting documents French use against Islamic State vehicles and Ukrainian use against Russian armor.
Ukrainian forces have used BONUS as 155 mm anti-armor artillery ammunition; RUSI describes a Ukrainian fires officer using five BONUS rounds against a three-tank Russian platoon, and The Armourer's Bench documented Ukrainian-service BONUS submunition imagery in January 2023.
Role detailsFrench Task Force Wagram fired BONUS rounds from CAESAR artillery during Operation Chammal in December 2018, when French reporting tied the ammunition to anti-vehicle fires against Islamic State forces in the Hajin area.
Role detailsBONUS is built around a carrier shell and two autonomous top-attack submunitions, so the important design facts are the separation sequence, search footprint, sensors, and target effect rather than a conventional shell-burst pattern.
| Stage | Source-backed detail | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Carrier round | The 155 mm shell is handled like conventional artillery ammunition and can be fired by compatible 155 mm guns. | It lets artillery units use a precision anti-armor effect without a dedicated missile launcher. |
| Dispense | The carrier releases two sensor-fuzed submunitions over the target area. | Two independent search modules give one round coverage over a larger armored-vehicle footprint. |
| Search | BAE data describes dual-mode infrared and LADAR sensors and a search area up to 32,000 square meters. | The submunition can scan for armored targets after release instead of needing terminal laser designation. |
| Effect | The attack module uses an explosively formed penetrator against armored vehicles from above. | The top-attack geometry targets thinner roof armor rather than frontal protection. |
Sources: Bofors 155mm BONUS munition; 155mm BONUS datasheet; 155mm BONUS KNDS.
The catalog treats BONUS as the Bofors-Nexter 155 mm sensor-fuzed projectile family. Current manufacturer and U.S. Army material identify the updated product as BONUS MkII or BONUS Mk2.
BONUS is a 155 mm projectile for compatible artillery guns. The relationships below use source-backed platform links rather than implying that every 155 mm gun in the catalog has documented BONUS integration.
| Firing weapon | Weapon type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 155 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer | FMV says BONUS ammunition is used with Sweden's Archer artillery system. Sources: BONUS ammunition ordered for Archer |
 | 155 mm truck-mounted howitzer | KNDS lists BONUS among CAESAR 6x6 Mk II smart ammunition options, and French reporting documents Task Force Wagram firing BONUS from CAESAR guns in Operation Chammal. Sources: CAESAR 6X6 MK II, French artillery uses BONUS in Iraq |
 | 155 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer | UNITED24 Media lists BONUS submunitions among ammunition compatible with the Bohdana 155 mm L/52 barrel. Sources: Bohdana BONUS compatibility |
French Task Force Wagram used BONUS rounds during Operation Chammal fires against Islamic State vehicle targets in the Hajin area.
Sources: French artillery uses BONUS in Iraq, December 2018 Iraq and Syria strike reports
The Armourer's Bench published an identification of BONUS submunition imagery from Ukraine, tying the round to the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War evidence record.
Sources: Top Attack 155 BONUS In Ukraine
RUSI described a Ukrainian fires officer using five BONUS rounds against a Russian tank platoon, documenting a tactical anti-armor use case.
Sources: Tactical Developments During the Third Year of the Russo-Ukrainian War
