One of the most important munitions of the Ukraine war comes from a historic factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where tons of steel rods are brought in by train to be forged into the 155mm shells Kyiv can’t get enough of, and that the US can’t produce fast enough.
The Scranton Army Ammunition Plant is one of only two sites in the US that can make these 155mm shells that the US is rushing not only to support Ukraine but to be ready for a potential conflict with China.
A team of robots at the plant downtown is busy helping to make 155mm howitzer shells destined for the Ukrainian army as they fight against the Russian invasion.
People oversee the shell production and perform periodic quality control inspections.
The Army is investing US$1.45 billion to expand production of the 155mm – from 14,000 shells per month to 24,000 later this year – and tripling that production in five years.
The 155mm artillery rounds allow Ukrainians to hit Russian targets up to 20 miles away with a highly explosive munition.
According to various estimates, Ukraine is firing thousands of artillery rounds daily at Russian positions, using munitions provided by several countries. But that is less than a third of the artillery barrage Russia fires daily at Ukrainians.
This US Army-owned factory in Scranton and many other military factories are in the process of being upgraded as the Pentagon works to ramp up production of heavy ammunition and equipment required to support a protracted conventional war – or two.
The Scranton plant is one of only two sites in the country that can make these 155mm shells that the US is rushing to not only to support Ukraine but to be ready for a potential conflict with China.
Once a steam locomotive rail yard, the US Army converted the space into the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant as a factory to build artillery shells during the Korean War.
The US military has given Ukraine more than one million rounds of 155mm ammunition since the start of the war.
AP video shot by Ted Shaffrey and Mstyslav Chernov