Munitions

M2005 V-LAP 155 mm shell

Also known as
  • Assegai V-LAP
  • M2005 HE V-LAP

The M2005 V-LAP is Rheinmetall Denel Munition's South African 155 mm Velocity Enhanced Long Range Artillery Projectile. Rheinmetall places it in the Assegai family and says the round combines rocket assist with base-bleed range extension, high fragmentation effect, and compatibility with NATO-standard 155 mm firing systems.

M2005 V-LAP 155 mm shell, 155 mm rocket-assisted base-bleed shell, Munitions
Image source: Rheinmetall 2025 artillery ammunition release
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
South Africa
Type
155 mm rocket-assisted base-bleed shell
Service note
2010s-present
Unit cost
Not publicly reported
Produced
At least 2019-present

Specifications

Caliber
155 mm
Projectile type
Velocity Enhanced Long Range Artillery Projectile (V-LAP)
Range
Up to about 76 km in Rheinmetall's South African record firing; about 67 km from PzH 2000 in the 2019 Rheinmetall test report
Compatibility
Can be fired from compatible 155 mm weapon systems with suitable NATO-standard fuzes and JBMoU-compatible modular charge systems
Propulsion
Rocket assist combined with base bleed
Effect
High fragmentation effect with rocket-assist and base-bleed range extension
Variants
  • Assegai M2005 V-LAP
Firing Weapons

Rheinmetall describes the M2005 V-LAP as a 155 mm projectile that can be fired from compatible weapon systems, and the company's record-firing pages name PzH 2000 and other 155 mm guns as documented launch platforms.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
PzH 2000, 155 mm self-propelled howitzer, ArtilleryPzH 2000155 mm self-propelled howitzer

Rheinmetall says the V-LAP shell achieved a 67 km result from PzH 2000 in its South African record-firing report.

Sources: Rheinmetall V-LAP distance records

2S22 Bohdana, 155 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer, Artillery2S22 Bohdana155 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer

Army Recognition reports Bohdana units used South African V-LAP rounds, and Rheinmetall says the projectile can be fired from compatible 155 mm weapon systems.

Sources: Army Recognition Bohdana V-LAP, Rheinmetall M2005 V-LAP order

Timeline

M2005 V-LAP 155 mm shell Key Events

  1. South African record-firing tests

    At Alkantpan, Rheinmetall reported that the Assegai V-LAP shell reached more than 76 km from a non-JBMoU gun and 67 km from PzH 2000, while calling it the longest-range conventional artillery projectile.

    Sources: Rheinmetall V-LAP distance records

  2. Five-year NATO supply contract

    Rheinmetall announced a five-year framework contract for 155 mm M2005 V-LAP projectiles, M92 modular charges and fuzes, and said the ammunition was already deployed in several NATO countries.

    Sources: Rheinmetall M2005 V-LAP order

  3. Major Assegai order booked

    Rheinmetall said a European NATO customer ordered Assegai-family 155 mm projectiles and bi-modular charges, with V-LAP among the suite, for deliveries from 2025 through 2027.

    Sources: Rheinmetall 2025 artillery ammunition release

Range And Compatibility

The public Rheinmetall record for M2005 V-LAP focuses on how the round extends 155 mm artillery range while staying inside NATO-compatible firing and logistics patterns.

FeatureWhat the source record says
Range extensionRocket assist and base bleed extend the projectile's reach.
CompatibilityCan be fired from compatible 155 mm weapon systems with suitable NATO-standard fuzes and JBMoU-compatible modular charge systems.
Operational effectHigh fragmentation effect and more than 40,000 m range capability in the 2025 customer-integration release.
Media

M2005 V-LAP 155 mm shell Images

M2005 V-LAP 155 mm shell, 155 mm rocket-assisted base-bleed shell, Munitions - view 1
Source: 155mm HE Artillery Shell. (49203123498).jpg
Related Weapon Systems
155 mm NATO ammunition, 155 mm NATO-standard artillery ammunition family for 39-, 45-, and 52-caliber howitzers, MunitionsMunitions155 mm NATO ammunition155 mm NATO-standard artillery ammunition family for 39-, 45-, and 52-caliber howitzers155 mm NATO ammunition is a family of separately loaded artillery projectiles, fuzes, primers, and propelling charges built around NATO and JBMoU interoperability standards rather than a single shell. Official records document 155 mm artillery rounds in Ukraine's wartime ammunition supply and in coalition M777A2 fire missions against ISIS, while manufacturer lines show high-explosive, extended-range, training, modular-charge, and specialty projectile examples.
G6 Rhino 155 mm self-propelled howitzer, 155 mm wheeled self-propelled gun-howitzer, ArtilleryArtilleryG6 Rhino 155 mm self-propelled howitzer155 mm wheeled self-propelled gun-howitzerThe G6 Rhino is a South African 155 mm wheeled self-propelled gun-howitzer related to the G5 artillery family. Public sources identify Denel with the turret, OMC with the hull, and Lyttelton Engineering Works/Denel lineage with the system's development and production background, while conflict-use reporting places South African pre-production G6s in Angola in 1987 and UAE G6 howitzers in Yemen in 2015. Later G6-52 work paired the G6 concept with 52-caliber ordnance, automated ammunition handling, and longer-range V-LAP ammunition.

Sources

Rheinmetall M2005 V-LAP orderPublisher: Rheinmetall | Note: Supports M2005 V-LAP identity, projectile type, extended-range technology, deployment in several NATO countries, and compatibility with 155 mm weapon systems using suitable NATO-standard fuzes and JBMoU-compatible modular charges. | Accessed: 2026-06-27Rheinmetall V-LAP distance recordsPublisher: Rheinmetall | Note: Supports the V-LAP family background, South African test-firing context, and the 2019 record range achieved from PzH 2000 and other 155 mm guns. | Accessed: 2026-06-27Army Recognition Bohdana V-LAPPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports the Bohdana relationship by reporting that Bohdana units used South African V-LAP rounds. | Accessed: 2026-06-27Rheinmetall 2025 artillery ammunition releasePublisher: Rheinmetall | Note: Supports 2025 artillery-ammunition background for the V-LAP family and image provenance for the representative press image used on this page. | Accessed: 2026-06-27155mm HE Artillery Shell. (49203123498).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a representative 155 mm artillery-shell photograph with a visible CC BY 2.0 license. | Accessed: 2026-06-27