What's going on in Ukraine?

[Hellraiser]

Army’s Cannon, Propellant Updates Reflect Lessons Learned in Ukraine

1/24/2024

By Scott R. Gourley

Combat operations in Ukraine over the last two years have highlighted the importance of modern field artillery systems.

From longer cannon tubes for increased range, to extreme long-range projectile accuracy, to restarting production of legacy subsystems, several industry efforts are focused on enhancing capabilities of field artillery systems for use in Ukraine and future possible conflicts.

Vendors at the 2023 Association of the United States Army’s annual conference highlighted a range of efforts to meet both current battlefield needs and projected future demands.

One sea change has happened at the Watervliet Arsenal in New York, which has been making cannon tubes for the Army since the late 1880s. Today, it represents the government’s central repository of metallurgy equipment and knowledge necessary to blast 100-pound explosive projectiles 18 miles and beyond.

The war in Ukraine has demonstrated a significant need to extend those distances through technologies ranging from longer tube length to range assisted projectiles, experts at the conference said.

In the case of cannon tube length, which is generally expressed as a multiple of projectile diameter, longer tubes feature greater chamber ignition volume and longer rifling — the lands and grooves inside the barrel — resulting in longer projectile ranges.

The Army’s M109A7 self-propelled howitzers, for example, feature a 39-caliber length M284 155 mm tube manufactured at Watervliet Arsenal. The arsenal also developed a 58-caliber 155 mm tube for the Extended Range Cannon Artillery systems.

More recently, 52-caliber length 155 mm tubes have been proving their effectiveness in Ukraine on systems like the Nexter Systems CAESAR and Rheinmetall/KMW PzH 2000.

One potential U.S. Army cannon tube enhancement highlighted at AUSA featured a new hybrid prototype incorporating a 52-caliber length 155 mm tube on a U.S. Army M109A7 self-propelled howitzer.

Significantly, the new barrel was not produced at Watervliet Arsenal.

“I’m not certain that Watervliet has a ‘52 cal’ right now,” said Jim Miller, vice president of business development for combat mission systems at BAE Systems. “We actually talked to just about every artillery producing company that we could reach to ask about a 52-caliber tube, and we selected the Rheinmetall L52, which has already been bought by nine NATO and other allied countries. It’s the gun that’s on the PzH 2000 in Ukraine right now. So, if a cannon can have combat experience, this one has it.”

The idea to prototype a new 52-caliber tube on the M109A7 was originally focused on potential upgrades for international M109 series of self-propelled howitzers, Miller said.

“We wanted to make sure we had a capability to mount ‘a buyer’s choice’ of a 52-cal tube,” he said. The U.S. Army then said it was interested also in upgunning the M109A7 Paladin Integrated Management at some point, Miller said. “So, we thought, why not bring it to AUSA?” he added.

“What we’re trying to show is that we can take the already fielded and fully qualified base chassis and take a system that’s very mature, like the L52, and put them together to give customers — whether they’re international customers or the U.S. Army — [upgrade] options that could go fairly fast if they wanted to.”

Miller noted that the prototype performed “a quick live fire” at Camp Ripley, Minnesota, in late September to prove the new design could manage the recoil impulses of the new cannon.

“We have taken a combat-proven, mature technology and integrated it on the M109 to provide the Army an option to get after [its] range challenges and provide some tactical overmatch, once again, back to the field artillery,” Miller said.

Jon Milner, director for business development, weapons and munitions, American Rheinmetall Defense Inc., said, “We’re going to spend most of the rest of 2024 doing deeper characterization firings to showcase range and compatibility with different things. But we at Rheinmetall think that this barrel — combined with propellants and U.S. projectiles — is really a winning combination for the Army to get after some of [its] challenges.”

He added: “This [L52] cannon is performing in Ukraine right now, with both Germany and Netherlands having donated PzH 2000s. We’ve gotten direct feedback from the Ukrainian chief of artillery. … They love the howitzer mobility and the accuracy of both the weapon and the SMArt 155 sensor-fused top attack anti-armor munition that has been really proving itself in the Ukraine.”

Inspections of tubes on PzH 2000 systems that have left the field for refurbishment have shown surprisingly little barrel wear, despite many of the systems having fired between 4,000 and 9,000 rounds, he added.

“The L52s still have significant rifling — lands and grooves — left,” he said. “That speaks to our technology because we chrome plate the barrel and we also laser harden the rifling, which again, gives you a very long barrel life.”

In terms of new barrel availability, the L52 on the howitzer prototype came off the “hot production line” at Rheinmetall Waffe Munition, Unterlüß, Germany, Milner said.

“Because of Ukraine and other things, that production line has basically doubled in capacity. We currently make both large caliber tank and 155 mm howitzer barrels on the same line at a rate of approximately 200 per year,” he said.

“If the Army likes the prototype [it sees] over at the BAE booth, and we hope they do, and if they want more prototypes for testing, certainly those barrels are going to have to come out of Germany,” he said.

“We’re prepared for that. We’re already planning in future years for some numbers of barrels to potentially come out of there,” he said.

However, that is not a permanent solution due to the 1920 Arsenal Act, which requires production in U.S. government-owned factories or arsenals.

“We’re also not fooling ourselves that Germany is going to be the source of any L52 barrel for the United States,” he said.

Rheinmetall would be happy to industrialize in the United States and be a second source to Watervliet Arsenal, but it’s a congressional issue that would have to be resolved, he noted.

In addition to highlighting the performance of the SMArt 155 projectile in Ukraine, Milner also referenced several ongoing Rheinmetall projectile production activities, emphasizing a significant increase in production capability following last summer’s purchase of Spain’s Expal and the subsequent creation of Rheinmetall Expal Munitions, S.A.U.

Along with projectile efforts focusing on base bleed and rocket assisted designs, other recent industry activities have been directed toward the precision delivery of sub-caliber guided projectiles at extremely long ranges.

As one example, BAE Systems’ Miller pointed to the company’s partnership with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center, which recently resulted in firing the XM1155-SC sub-caliber guided projectile to the farthest distance an M109 Paladin has ever fired a guided projectile. It successfully guided to and impacted the target area using GPS, demonstrating the added capability the round can deliver to the U.S. Army’s current howitzer fleet, he said.

The firing tests are exploring two specific issues. The first is doubling the range of standard 155 mm howitzers, regardless of tube length. The second is whether they can achieve a hit at those ranges against poorly defined or moving targets, he said.

“We’re hitting where we want to hit. So, we’re pretty excited,” he said.

In terms of distance bragging rights, representatives from a Boeing-Nammo team outlined their recent efforts to fire a ramjet-powered projectile from a 58-caliber Extended Range Cannon Artillery cannon tube at the Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.

Erland Ørbekk, technical director for engineering and development in the missile products division at Nammo, said company efforts have optimized a ramjet combuster design in which the ramjet engine ignites approximately 20 meters outside the barrel, with terminal guidance design efforts reflecting some of Boeing’s Joint Direct Attack Munition technology.

Future efforts will be directed toward adapting the technology for use in shorter cannon tubes, he said.

Another contributor to projectile range involves the propellant that ignites in the cannon chamber.

Once focused on different types of powder bags, U.S. artillery has moved to the Modular Artillery Charge System, or MACS. Consisting of the M231 and M232 series propelling charges, it uses an incremental-based design reflective of target range and is compatible with all current and planned 155 mm artillery weapons.

A recent test of the XM1155-SC precision-guided munition conducted at Yuma Proving Ground used the MACS “Zone 5” charge to prove compatibility with current artillery systems, Ørbekk noted.

Rheinmetall’s Milner asserted the importance of using a propellant optimized for a specific weapon system. In the case of the L52, he said the range benefits could be further optimized through the adoption of the DM92 propellant used with the German-built PzH 2000 armored self-propelled howitzer.

The MACS was designed for the Army’s now canceled Crusader artillery system, he said. “And it’s a solvent-based propellant. We’re solvent-less. It’s better technology, and the Army needs to move on from MACS. And we’re ready to bring [DM92] over and work with the Army at Radford Army Ammunition Plant.”

Another representative example of the influence of the Ukraine war on U.S. artillery production activities was reflected in the mid-September 2023 contract award to Nammo Perry Inc. of Nammo Defense Systems and General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems. The five-year award covers production of the M119A2 “red bag” propelling charge used in howitzers containing the 39-caliber length M185 and M199 cannon tubes.

The M185 tube was previously used on U.S. M109 models A1–A4 while the M199 was used on the U.S. towed M198.

“The M119A2 is a legacy propelling charge that has not been manufactured in the United States since the 1980s,” said Elizabeth Eastman, president and general manager, Nammo Perry/Nammo Defense Systems. The production is being split between the two companies and “is in direct support of the Ukraine conflict,” she said.

Since the charge hasn’t been produced since the 1980s, both companies would likely require some level of facility preparation, she said. “The requirement is for deliveries 12 months from award, so September 2024 is when we will be entering into the first article and low-rate production.”

Eastman added the biggest challenge stems from the fact that the M119A2 propellant bags use a “legacy propellant” that is no longer in active manufacture and will have to be “ramped up” as well.

The government-owned, contractor-operated Radford Army Ammunition Plant in Virginia is going to make the propellant and provide it to both companies, who will then dose it, bag it and sew it, she said.

The five-year production award will likely have uses beyond Ukraine, Eastman said, noting that the propellant for artillery stock is low.

“This is something that we understand the government can have for its own use as well, should it need to. I don’t think it will go to waste,” she said. ND

https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org ... in-ukraine

[Hellraiser]

The Czechs have found another 700,000 artillery shells for Ukraine.

[dkm57]

The Czechs have found another 700,000 artillery shells for Ukraine.

Is that in addition to the ones that have already been financed through a round robin collection of EU countries?

[Hellraiser]

The Czechs have found another 700,000 artillery shells for Ukraine.

Is that in addition to the ones that have already been financed through a round robin collection of EU countries?

Yes, 1.5 million shells in total.

[yermum]

Pavel is such a mensch.

[Hellraiser]

[dkm57]

The Czechs have found another 700,000 artillery shells for Ukraine.

Is that in addition to the ones that have already been financed through a round robin collection of EU countries?

Yes, 1.5 million shells in total.

Excellent. will hopefully buy enough time for production in the EU to get up to speed.

[Biffer]

Is that in addition to the ones that have already been financed through a round robin collection of EU countries?

Yes, 1.5 million shells in total.

Excellent. will hopefully buy enough time for production in the EU to get up to speed.

Any idea how many days that translates to at current rates?

[Hellraiser]

Yes, 1.5 million shells in total.

Excellent. will hopefully buy enough time for production in the EU to get up to speed.

Any idea how many days that translates to at current rates?

At the beginning of February the Ukrainians were firing about 2000 shells a day. If they new ammo allows them to triple that to 6000 a day, then 1.5 million shells would last for 9 months just by itself.

[Hellraiser]

[tabascoboy]

...

And those polling stations which had ink/fire protests on the ballot papers should have those nullified with a new poll run - they won't of course because what's the point when they can just say 90% for Putin regardless...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When discussing strategies for achieving victory, I believe one of the most pragmatic approaches for Ukraine lies in destabilizing Russia's power base, thereby prompting a shift by making this war unprofitable.

Historically, few rulers have maintained power solely through their own efforts, they rely heavily on the support of elites consensus. Such unwritten agreement exists between leaders and elites, wherein those with influence and resources bolster the regime in exchange for obtaining or preserving their own wealth and privileges.

Despite facing Western sanctions, Putin's loyal elites have largely managed to maintain the status quo, with some even increasing their wealth. This perpetuates an unofficial agreement where both sides remain content overall.

In my view, the most effective means of altering this dynamic is to target Russia's key economic assets, a tactic Ukraine partially has begun to employ successfully by attacking oil refineries.

This approach not only disrupts military logistics but also undermines the economic interests of those profiting most from the oil trade.

Intensifying the destruction of strategic assets that yield substantial profits for their owners serves as a potent signal that war is detrimental to business interests. As Ukraine enhances its long-range drone and potentially missile capabilities, the prospect of losing assets, contracts, and facing elevated insurance costs will inevitably lead to conclusion that war is an unprofitable venture for Russia, thereby compelling them to reconsider their stance in future negotiations, if not prompting a shift in power.

The will of the general populace in Russia hold little sway as long as key centers like Moscow and the elites within them can sustain their lifestyle without feeling the toll of war. While this may cause disruptions in global market prices and impact the global economy, in a scenario where Ukraine lacks sufficient aid to decisively end the war in its favor, I see few other practical alternatives.

[tabascoboy]

A long but well thought-out analysis in a series of posts that serves very well as a rebuttal to daft suggestions that stopping military aid to Ukraine would miraculously end the war favourably for everyone ( but for Russia only it would of course)



Full series of text and images at https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1770 ... 29382.html

[Hellraiser]

[Hellraiser]

Canadian Chosen Company volunteer doing a walkthrough of a trench assault he was involved in.

Edit: this features the very famous bit of footage of a Russian soldier running into a Ukrainian foxhole then attempting to run back where he came from before being neutralised.

[tabascoboy]

Only very indirectly related to the war itself, but most likely wouldn't have happened if Russia weren't being the a-holes in Europe that they are...saying that of course, it's well known that many RU "trawlers" are operating with little more purpose than naval surveillance and recon.

On March 19, a number of Russian media reported that the Russian Trawler “Captain Lobanov” sank in the Baltic Sea. Preliminarily, due to «an explosion» on board. Now information has appeared in the Russian media that the ship was sunk as a result of a Russian Navy missile accidentally hitting the ship:

«A relative of a crew member of the trawler "Captain Lobanov" confirmed to Dozhd media that the ship was mistakenly hit by a Navy missile

As a result of a missile hitting the fishing trawler Kapitan Lobanov on March 19, three crew members were killed and four more were injured. A relative of one of the crew members told Dozhd media about this.

The missile that hit the trawler was fired during a Baltic Fleet exercise, the source said. Before the incident, the trawler's crew members were about to go to bed when a missile fell on the captain's cabin.

According to official reports from local authorities, there was a fire on board the trawler, and the cause of the incident is still unknown. In addition, authorities report only one death.

“When the survivors were taken away, everyone knew perfectly well that three people had died. And everyone knew perfectly well that a rocket had hit. But they decided to write that there was a “fire.” I wonder what kind of fire this is, if the captain’s cabin is completely gone, it was simply demolished,” says Dozhd’s media source.

The survivors were sent to a hospital in the city of Pionersk; one of the victims is in serious condition. According to the source, at the hospital the victims were interrogated by FSB officers, who asked the crew members “not to talk about the incident.”

Another missile, according to the source, fell into fishing nets near the industrial vessel of the MRTK company, which was located not far from the trawler “Captain Lobanov”.»

[Glaston]

Yanks have told Ukraine "Let the Russian oil flow"
Don't bomb the refineries.
https://www.ft.com/content/98f15b60-bc4 ... dde122ac0c


French have told the Ukrainians not to be mean to the Mulliez family (they own Leroy Merlin and Auchan making big $ by still operating in Russia)
The Austrians have told Ukraine not to be mean to their banks which are making billions in Russia.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/pr ... 024-03-21/

[inactionman]

I'm hearing reports that gunmen attacked the Moscow state theatre, and it may have been isis.

But you'd assume usual putin false flag shenanigans

Eta sorry, not state theatre, a different theatre but supposed to have been 6k people in it

May indeed be isis, assume Russia are also being kind and gentle in the middle East.

[Guy Smiley]

I'm hearing reports that gunmen attacked the Moscow state theatre, and it may have been isis.

But you'd assume usual putin false flag shenanigans

Maybe not...
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/sh ... 024-03-22/

The U.S. embassy in Russia warned earlier this month that "extremists" had imminent plans for an attack in Moscow.
It issued its warning several hours after Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, said it had foiled an attack on a synagogue in Moscow by a cell of the militant Sunni Muslim group Islamic State.

[tabascoboy]

Russian security services reportedly searching for three individuals from Ingushetia, a Russian federal republic in the North Caucasus, in relation to the attack.
...
Russian Vchk-OGPU telegram reports security forces looking for 3 men from Ingushetiya: Gurajev Amirkhan 1989, Adam Ozdoev 1987, Tsuroev Zelimkhan 2000.

Eyewitnesses also reporting that shooters were either from Caucasus or Central Asia, speaking non-Russian

[Calculon]

What a shame, terrorist attack a terrorist state

[tabascoboy]

Well, now they arrested 4 suspects in Bryansk region who are Tajiks...

1. Makhmadrasul Nasridinov, 37yrs old
2. Rivozhidin Ismonov, 51yrs old
3. Shokhinjonn Safolzoda, 21yrs old
4. Rustam Nazarov, 29yrs old.

Didn't take long for this narrative to spring up

As we've recently been reporting, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has issued a statement claiming that the terrorists involved in the Moscow Crocus City attack were planning to cross the border with Ukraine, and that they had "contacts" on the Ukrainian side.

[Raggs]

Ukraine is not only Nazis but ISIS too!

[sockwithaticket]

Yanks have told Ukraine "Let the Russian oil flow"
Don't bomb the refineries.
https://www.ft.com/content/98f15b60-bc4 ... dde122ac0c


French have told the Ukrainians not to be mean to the Mulliez family (they own Leroy Merlin and Auchan making big $ by still operating in Russia)
The Austrians have told Ukraine not to be mean to their banks which are making billions in Russia.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/pr ... 024-03-21/

Fake news according to the Ukrainians.

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the office of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the government has not received calls from the United States asking Ukraine to halt attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/2 ... s-00148673

[tabascoboy]

Ukraine is not only Nazis but ISIS too!

ISIS Nazis based in Ukraine, funded by the US/NATO with operational assistance from Mossad. It's on #twatter so it must be true!

So much for the Kremlin's very open support for Hamas in the last few months

[tabascoboy]

The whole thread of tweets + images at https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1771 ... =topunroll ( has one graphic image, but sanitised )

[Uncle fester]

RDT_20240323_2122088783548822797183386.jpg (285.52 KiB) Viewed 2196 times

[Ymx]

Hope this gets the attention it deserves

[petej]

Hope this gets the attention it deserves

Deeply suspicious of this sort of stuff. Particularly, coming from Russia with putin keen to direct the narrative.

[Ymx]

Well I just hoped it could just be one good story to come out of this vile ISIS Islamist massacre.

[Calculon]

Well I just hoped it could just be one good story to come out of this vile ISIS Islamist massacre.

the good story is that this terrorist attack weakens Russia by diverting security resources away from countering pro-Ukraine activities in Russia and occupied Ukraine. the good news is that the success of this attack might inspire further attacks by the Islamist/separatist , the good news story is that it shows the incompetence of the Russian security services and shows Putin as weak. the good news is not some potentially fake story from a dodgy twitter account

[sockwithaticket]

Also, why would the west share that story?

Reporting on terrorist attacks from any country not your own tends to focus very specifically on:
- location
- bodycount
- perpetrator(s)/group claiming responsibility

It's headline stuff, anything extra is extraneous detail for anyone not in the country where the incident occurred and won't get picked up internationally by the big media outlets/mainstream press.

Additional 'feel good' stuff about the actions of people on the ground tends only to feature in local national press.



Anywho, Ukraine say they've sunk another couple of Russian landing ships, Yamal and Azov, while they were docked in Sevastopol. Black Seas Fleet 'infrastructure facilities' were also targeted.

[Blackmac]

Did anyone else see 'Ukraine: Enemy in the woods' last night. Quite incredible, no holds barred, body cam footage from the front line. A very hard watch.

[TheNatalShark]

We've now got scheduled blackouts in Kharkiv whilst they work on repairing the electrical grid. Load shedding prepared well.

But Russians really did whack the infrastructure here, lots of power being transmitted in as the main sources have been knocked out and won't be online for months, if not a year depending on financing.

Last night very loud again with either a recon or shahed drone above for about 20 minutes whilst AA knocked out the other drones targeting substations not yet hit... including one just across the road from me. Makes finding a new one (preferably not previously shelled) a little higher up the priority list!

[Brazil]

Did anyone else see 'Ukraine: Enemy in the woods' last night. Quite incredible, no holds barred, body cam footage from the front line. A very hard watch.

Yes, very surprising what they showed, even with faces blurred out. Was striking that for all the advances in comms and technology, it's not that different from war fighting in WW2 when it gets down to it.

[Margin__Walker]

Did anyone else see 'Ukraine: Enemy in the woods' last night. Quite incredible, no holds barred, body cam footage from the front line. A very hard watch.

Yep. Pretty unimaginable really. Must be incredibly hard to keep facing each day with no end in sight

The small drone element especially is a really hellish addition to modern warfare.

[Blackmac]

Did anyone else see 'Ukraine: Enemy in the woods' last night. Quite incredible, no holds barred, body cam footage from the front line. A very hard watch.

Yep. Pretty unimaginable really. Must be incredibly hard to keep facing each day with no end in sight

The small drone element especially is a really hellish addition to modern warfare.

Yeah. No place to hide and it must be terrifying seeing the FPV drones flying towards you.

[Hellraiser]

​​Rheinmetall will receive 130 million euros from the European Union to expand ammunition production

The Rheinmetall concern reports that it plans to produce up to 1.1 million artillery shells per year by 2027. In addition, starting in 2026, the concern plans to annually produce up to 1.5 million rocket fuel modules and 3,000 tons of RDX explosives.

Also, Rheinmetall plans to launch at least four plants on the territory of Ukraine.

https://t.me/operativnoZSU

[Hellraiser]

Germany announced the transfer of a large package of military assistance to Ukraine

It will include:

- 5 tracked repair and recovery vehicles Warthog;
- 9 tracked Warthog all-terrain command vehicles;
- 6 WISENT 1 mine clearance vehicles;
- 2 BEAVER bridge laying machines;
- engineers of ARV Bergepanzer 2 and ARV 2A1 Dachs;
- 9 mine trawls;
- 3 vehicles for border protection;
- 6 Mercedes-Benz Zetros tankers;
- 14 Vector reconnaissance UAVs;
- 30 reconnaissance UAVs RQ-35 Heidrun;
- 5 drone jammers;
- ammunition for Leopard 2A6 tanks;
- 18,000 155 mm ammunition;
- SATCOM surveillance system;
- 330 infrared cameras;
- 2,056 RGW90 Matador grenade launchers;
- 70 GMG grenade launchers.

The government website reported that missiles for Patriot air defense systems, 20 Marder armored combat vehicles and other equipment are also being prepared for Ukraine.

What's going on in Ukraine?

[weegie01]

Germany announced the transfer of a large package of military assistance to Ukraine

It will include:

- 5 tracked repair and recovery vehicles Warthog;
- 9 tracked Warthog all-terrain command vehicles;
- 6 WISENT 1 mine clearance vehicles;
- 2 BEAVER bridge laying machines;
- engineers of ARV Bergepanzer 2 and ARV 2A1 Dachs;
- 9 mine trawls;
- 3 vehicles for border protection;
- 6 Mercedes-Benz Zetros tankers;
- 14 Vector reconnaissance UAVs;
- 30 reconnaissance UAVs RQ-35 Heidrun;
- 5 drone jammers;
- ammunition for Leopard 2A6 tanks;
- 18,000 155 mm ammunition;
- SATCOM surveillance system;
- 330 infrared cameras;
- 2,056 RGW90 Matador grenade launchers;
- 70 GMG grenade launchers.

The government website reported that missiles for Patriot air defense systems, 20 Marder armored combat vehicles and other equipment are also being prepared for Ukraine.

What's going on in Ukraine?

That looks like a fairly random list of items to me. Does anyone knoe if that is what Ukraine has asked for to fill gaps in its armoury, or just what the Germans have lying around and can spare?

[Calculon]

Germany announced the transfer of a large package of military assistance to Ukraine

It will include:

- 5 tracked repair and recovery vehicles Warthog;
- 9 tracked Warthog all-terrain command vehicles;
- 6 WISENT 1 mine clearance vehicles;
- 2 BEAVER bridge laying machines;
- engineers of ARV Bergepanzer 2 and ARV 2A1 Dachs;
- 9 mine trawls;
- 3 vehicles for border protection;
- 6 Mercedes-Benz Zetros tankers;
- 14 Vector reconnaissance UAVs;
- 30 reconnaissance UAVs RQ-35 Heidrun;
- 5 drone jammers;
- ammunition for Leopard 2A6 tanks;
- 18,000 155 mm ammunition;
- SATCOM surveillance system;
- 330 infrared cameras;
- 2,056 RGW90 Matador grenade launchers;
- 70 GMG grenade launchers.

The government website reported that missiles for Patriot air defense systems, 20 Marder armored combat vehicles and other equipment are also being prepared for Ukraine.

What's going on in Ukraine?

That looks like a fairly random list of items to me. Does anyone knoe if that is what Ukraine has asked for to fill gaps in its armoury, or just what the Germans have lying around and can spare?

That all looks like very useful equipment. I would be absolutely amazed if the Germans, or any other country for that matter, sends stuff the Ukrainians didn't ask for and did
not want.