U.S. is Falling Short on 155mm Artillery Shell Production

Defense Express | June 19, 2025

… It is crucial not to confuse a round with a projectile. The figure of 40,000 refers to the number of 155mm projectiles, a level the U.S. reached back in September 2024, according to a Pentagon report. However, a complete round also includes a propellant charge and a fuze.

Currently, all U.S. artillery charges are manufactured at the Valleyfield facility near Montreal, Canada,

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which is owned by General Dynamics. However, production is being relocated to the U.S. at new American Ordnance plants in Middletown, Iowa, and Camden, Arkansas, where another General Dynamics facility will also be built.

In parallel with expanding shell body production and increasing the capacity for filling them with explosives — which remains a challenge, as 100,000 shells per month would require 66,000 tons of explosives, much of which is currently imported —

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these developments will enable the U.S. to eventually reach the target of producing 100,000 complete 155mm rounds per month.