Two linked threads… Assuming we are determined t9 support Ukraine that is,,,,
Putin doesn’t sound like a man who’s interested in a negotiated peace in Ukraine:
“They’re running out [of weapons]… They don’t have anything, they have no future. But we do have a future.”
(This is a newly released clip from his Kremlin awards ceremony for troops on Friday)
BAE systems in the UK will be capable of producing more than 1.5 million large caliber artillery shells annually in the near future. This is a significant increase vs my estimates a few months ago as I have now been able to find the pre war production levels.
Pre war BAE was making 16,000 large caliber shells per month. And like I reported in July BAE publicly released their plan to 8x large caliber artillery shell production. Which would put them at around 128,000 a month or 1.5 million per year.
This is possible because the Washington plant is very new and extremely modern. Having just opened in 2012-2013 when most U.S plants have parts that date back to WW2. BAE Washington had 14 ultra modern machines with separate control rooms and extremely automated processes.
And Is likely among the most efficient 155mm production facility’s on the planet. It can be almost certain that the plant has continually been improved and added on to with a rapid surge in demand and plans to 8x production.
I also have it on good authority after speaking to some people familiar with forging that a similar amount of 155mm and 105mm can be made in the same time frame by the same processes. So like in other plants around the world it would likely be easy to switch completely to 155mm.…