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 scarce 155 mm anti-armor artillery ammunition; RUSI described a Ukrainian fires officer firing five BONUS rounds at a Russian tank platoon, and The Armourer's Bench identified BONUS submunition imagery from Ukraine.
Role detailsFrench Task Force Wagram fired four BONUS rounds from CAESAR artillery during Operation Chammal on December 3, 2018, with French reporting and Airwars' archived report tying the strike to eight Islamic State armored vehicles near Hajin.
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 | Documented 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 | Manufacturer 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 links below are limited to cataloged platforms where a source identifies the connection.
| Firing weapon | Weapon type | Firing evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | 155 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer | FMV says BONUS ammunition is used with Sweden's Archer artillery system, and BAE Systems says Archer can fire BONUS anti-armor munitions. Sources: BONUS ammunition ordered for Archer, Sweden awards BAE Systems contract for 48 ARCHER systems |
 | 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 |
 | 155 mm towed howitzer | Army Guide states that the FH77B can fire the 155 mm BONUS top-attack artillery projectile. Sources: FH-77B (Towed howitzer) |
 | 155 mm self-propelled howitzer | The U.S. Army describes BONUS Mk2 as employed by the Army's M109 self-propelled howitzer fleet. Sources: BONUS Mk2 155mm Projectile |
 | 155 mm lightweight towed howitzer | The U.S. Army describes BONUS Mk2 as employed by M777 lightweight towed howitzers. Sources: BONUS Mk2 155mm Projectile |
French Task Force Wagram used four BONUS rounds during Operation Chammal fires against Islamic State armored vehicles 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
