US to build “artillery complex of the future” for $632 million: the plant will produce 36 thousand shells per month
28 August 2025 00:37
A new high-tech plant for filling large-caliber ammunition with explosives will be built in the United States. The contract for its construction worth $632 million was signed by the US Department of Defense and MSM North America, a subsidiary of the Czechoslovak defense group Czechoslovak Group (CSG).
This was reported by the Mezha newspaper, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to Mezha, the company will be built in Iowa. Production is scheduled to start in September 2029. Once it reaches full capacity, the plant will be able to load 36,000 155 mm artillery shells per month. This will significantly enhance the defense capabilities of the United States and its NATO allies.
CSG emphasized that the new complex will be an indicator of the company’s global presence and its contribution to strengthening the security of its partners. The group’s products are already actively used in Ukraine, in particular, in Neptune missile systems, Bogdan self-propelled artillery systems, as well as in the supply of 155-mm shells and other large-caliber ammunition.
Context
Over the past two years, the United States has significantly increased its investment in the production of artillery ammunition, which has become key to Russia’s war against Ukraine. While at the beginning of the full-scale invasion Ukraine received only a few thousand shells per month from its allies, in 2024 the Pentagon set a goal to increase its own capacity to 100,000 155-mm munitions per month.
The United States currently has several defense industry modernization programs in place. In March 2025, a new projectile production line was opened in Texas, which should reach 30-40 thousand units per month by 2026.
In Europe, a large-scale increase in production capacity is underway. In particular, the German concern Rheinmetall is opening the largest ammunition plant in the EU, designed to produce up to 350 thousand shells annually.
Analysts note that such steps by the United States and its partners indicate preparations for long-term support of Ukraine, as well as a strategic transition to a “war economy” in the field of defense production.
