UK Confirms 120,000 152 mm Artillery Shells for Ukraine

The International Fund for Ukraine (IFU), which the UK government administers, announced on Friday, Sept. 6 that the eight member nations had now provided more than £1 billion ($1.3 billion) along with the IFU’s largest ever support package worth £300 million ($380 million) to supply 152mm artillery ammunition to Ukraine.

The UK’s Defence Secretary, John Healy, confirmed that this contract will deliver several thousand artillery rounds before the end of the year with a total of 120,000 expected to be provided over the next 18 months.

Separately, in June 2024, the first delivery of ammunition was made to Ukraine as part of a Czech-led initiative to purchase 800,000 shells for Ukraine.

The provision of what are significant boosts to Ukraine’s stockpiles is in line with UK promises made during July’s NATO Summit that London would accelerate its deliveries of military support to Kyiv.

Healy informed Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov of the IFU’s funding milestone during a meeting in London on Sept. 3 where he also restated the UK’s intention to provide £3 billion ($3.9 billion) of annual military aid to Ukraine “for as long as it takes.”

Healy said at the meeting that “British military equipment continues to prove invaluable to Ukraine’s war effort, and the ongoing successes on the battlefield highlight the crucial importance of continued support.”

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It was also confirmed that IFU contributors, Denmark, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Norway had confirmed additional funding for purchasing frontline unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV/drones) drones and additional air defense capabilities. This was in addition to the UK announcement at Friday’s Ramstein Ukraine Contact Group meeting that the UK would deliver 650 Thales Marlet Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMMin a contract worth £162 million ($213 million).

The nine IFU partners who use the fund to channel aid to Ukraine are Australia, Denmark, Iceland, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the UK.

The IFU, first launched by Denmark and the UK in 2022, allows combined procurement processes to be used to rapidly deliver military aid to Ukraine which is aligned with Kyiv’s stated priority requirements. To date, the fund has announced eight major capability packages which include:

• Artillery Ammunition
• Drones
• Small Boats
• Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems
• Electronic Warfare Systems
• Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles
• Air Defense Systems
• Mine Clearance Equipment
• Combat Vehicle Spares

A UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson said, “The recent increases in funding and resources allocated to the IFU underscores the strategic importance and effectiveness of this collective support mechanism, highlighting the unity and resilience of allied nations in their support for Ukraine.”