• Neuromancer@lemm.ee
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    4 months ago

    Personal stockpiles? Do you think the average American has 155mm round sitting in their home? Rifle rounds are not the issue.

    Ukraine needs heavy weapon rounds. We have one factory that makes 155mm rounds. I can’t remember which one stinger or javelin, they had to restart the line that had been shutdown.

    People complain about our military spending but that is what it cost to keep the capability to have a large war.

    Currently, our production is around 14K 155mm rounds a month. Ukraine was shooting that every few days. Biden is working hard to increase the capacity, but we are talking about a specialized production.

    I think the takeaway from this is that we have not seen a war like this in a very long time. The amount of ammo each side is shooting is insane.

    A quick google will find you many sources on this topic as it has become a huge issue. If we had another war, Taiwan for example, we would run out of ammo in days.

      • Neuromancer@lemm.ee
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        4 months ago

        It was fascinating when the topic came up. I just always assumed we had idle capacity ready to go. That is why we spend so much to have that capacity.

        It turns out that we just spend a lot but don’t have extra capacity.

        Here is just one of the many articles on it.

        https://www.businessinsider.com/pentagon-increasing-production-of-155mm-artillery-shells-2023-1

        Currently, the US produces just over 14,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition every month. As The Washington Post reported last month, Ukrainian forces have previously fired that many rounds in the span of 48 hours.

    • The Snark Urge@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      This is what scares me - the idea that we could run out of conventional weapons during a hot war, and start having to think of all those nukes lying around “doing nothing”

      Some powers really are too much for humans. We’re not ready

      • FarceOfWill
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        4 months ago

        Western military uses bombs and missiles from planes not artillery. There isn’t much artillery ammo because our military isn’t set up to use it.

        Ukraine doesn’t have the air superiority to risk doing the same thing so the way they fight doesn’t match the way Europe or the us does.

      • Neuromancer@lemm.ee
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        4 months ago

        That is my concern as well. That we will run low, start at o lose and then go nuclear