NATO intends to announce its first-ever uniform guidelines for the military industry at its meeting in summit, which begins on Wednesday in the American capital, Washington, reported Reuters, reported BTA.
The alliance will insist that its member countries increase their weapons production and begin to adhere more strictly to uniform standards in the production of projectiles that are equally applicable in combat operations.
"(What happened in) Ukraine showed that our standardization is good on paper but not so good on the battlefield,'' a NATO official told Reuters on condition of anonymity, referring to munitions such as the 155mm artillery shells. , in which there is a global shortage in the context of increasing demand since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Unlike machine gun cartridges, in the production of which NATO imposes uniform criteria allowing allies to use another country's ammunition, unifying standards for artillery shells is not so easy.
Although common specifications are set for artillery ammunition, compliance is optional and non-compliance fragments the market and impedes the smooth flow of supplies. Fourteen NATO member countries have reserved the right to deviate from the standards, which means that the artillery ammunition produced by them is of a different caliber than the 155 millimeters, notes Reuters.
Ammunition of different sizes can still be used for any howitzer, but rangers must enter their characteristics with each load, otherwise they risk off-target by 50 to 60 meters, artillery experts believe.
The characteristics are plotted on tables used by the military, but according to representatives quoted by Reuters, weapons manufacturers do not provide all the necessary data on their products - something NATO wants to change. In addition, the alliance aims to unify standards, which in turn will simplify data tables.
"A world in which there is a NATO-standardized projectile and in which every member country produces the same one will be a world much easier for military leaders,", the representative of the alliance told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
p>
This decision by NATO, however, may face resistance from arms manufacturers, while at the same time increasing competition and lowering prices, according to Reuters. With the idea of increasing arms production, especially of "strategic munitions" such as artillery shells and anti-aircraft missiles, NATO leaders will agree to report annually to the alliance on how they intend to stick to the defense targets set and increase their weapons production, the Reuters source added. NATO countries have increased production of munitions since 2022, rising from around 100,000 artillery shells before the Russian invasion of Ukraine to two million this year. Their number is expected to reach around three million next year.