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Sweden Orders Largest Artillery Shell Stockpile Since Cold War Amid Shortages Exposed by War in Ukraine
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Sweden’s Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) signed its largest order for 155mm artillery ammunition in over four decades, but the actual volume of shells delivered could be far smaller than anticipated due to soaring production costs, Swedish media Dagens Industri reported on July 8.
The FMV signed two multi-year contracts worth nearly $500 million (5 billion kronor) with Nammo—a Norwegian-Finnish defense firm—and Rheinmetall Denel Munition, a joint German–South African venture. The deals include the delivery of 155mm artillery shells and propellant charges.
“This is the largest artillery ammunition procurement in over 40 years,” said Sweden’s Defense Minister Pål Jonson, noting that the war in Ukraine has highlighted just how quickly modern armies burn through artillery shells on the battlefield.
Deliveries from Rheinmetall Denel Munition will begin this year and continue through 2027, providing both high-explosive rounds and associated propellant charges.
Nammo is set to begin deliveries in 2028, supplying 155mm high-explosive fragmentation shells with a firing range of up to 40 kilometers.
Although Nammo’s Swedish facility in Karlskoga is expected to handle much of the local production, the full manufacturing cycle spans multiple countries.
According to Nammo Vice President Björn Andersson, metal casings are produced in Norway and Finland, while specific explosives are sourced from Poland.
The Karlskoga plant has been operating around the clock since early 2023 to meet rising demand, primarily for ammunition destined for Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian defense media outlet Militarnyi, last year, FMV estimated the cost of a single 155mm shell with propellant and a fuse at around $8,000. Based on this estimate, Sweden’s $500 million contract would cover roughly 60,000 rounds—a figure roughly equivalent to the Ukrainian Army’s monthly artillery expenditure in 2024.
Earlier, Sweden scrambled two JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets on June 20 after Russian Su-30 fighter aircraft were detected flying in international airspace over the southern Baltic Sea, close to Swedish territory.
