NATO wants to standardize ammunition, – Reuters

Photo: Flag with NATO logo

NATO will launch a new effort to introduce common ammunition standards to reduce costs and make them easier to use on the battlefield, Reuters reports, citing a senior NATO official. NATO defense ministers will meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. They are expected to task NATO's new Secretary General Mark Rutte with drawing up a plan to modernise the standardisation process, the source, who asked to remain anonymous, said.

The basis for standardisation is the STANAG (Standardisation Agreement), which ensures compatibility between NATO member states for ammunition and artillery systems. However, since the 1960s, when standards for artillery ammunition were adopted, 14 NATO member states have retained the right to deviate from them. This has fragmented the market and complicated supply chains.

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There is currently a 40-60 metre range in accuracy between shells of the same calibre from different manufacturers. This problem could be solved with firing tables – documents that help to configure artillery systems for specific shells. However, their use has long been ignored. Now NATO intends to solve this problem.

Ukraine's Western allies have been actively increasing ammunition supplies since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. In 2023, Russia and its allies reportedly sent 4 million artillery shells to the front, while Ukraine and its partners supplied about 1.5 million shells.

Prepared by: Sergey Daga