William LaPlante, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said the current manufacturing rate for 155mm artillery rounds stands at 28,000 shells a month and is on schedule to hit at least 57,000 rounds per month by spring 2024 and 100,000 units per month by fiscal year 2025, Defense News reported Friday.
LaPlante, a two-time Wash100 awardee, said production of such rounds is years ahead of schedule since the Department of Defense’s initial goal was to make 85,000 rounds each month by FY 2028.
At a think tank-hosted event, the defense acquisition chief called for a shift in behavior to avoid a boom-and-bust cycle when it comes to the demand for weapons systems.
LaPlante noted that the defense industrial base would benefit from expansion today as the U.S. works to support Ukraine’s efforts to counter Russian invasion and back the deterrence initiative against China.
According to the report, DOD’s funding measure in 2022 included approximately $1.5 billion to ramp up the Army’s manufacturing capacity for 155mm rounds.