https://thecradle.co/articles/washington-turns-to-turkiye-to-fulfill-ukraines-artillery-demands
Washington turns to Turkiye to fulfill Ukraine's artillery demands
As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prepares to visit the US capital in May, the country is stepping in to boost the production of NATO-standard 155mm caliber ammo
The US government is looking to boost purchases of military-grade explosives from Turkiye to ramp up production of artillery shells as Washington's stockpile is nearing depletion after two years of fueling the war in Ukraine.
Bloomberg cited officials in the know as saying that “Turkish supplies of trinitrotoluene, known as TNT, and nitroguanidine, which is used as a propellant, would be crucial in the production of NATO-standard 155mm caliber ammunition – potentially tripling production."
Turkish defense firm Repkon is reportedly expected to produce about 30 percent of all US-made 155mm artillery shells by 2025. Furthermore, the Pentagon has purchased “116,000 rounds of battle-ready ammunition from [Turkiye's] Arca Defense for delivery this year, with further purchases expected soon for delivery next year.”
In late February, the Pentagon announced it had contracted General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems to build three 155mm projectile metal parts lines in Texas, with Turkish subcontractors participating.
Washington's strategy contrasts starkly with that of the EU, as Bloomberg highlights, as Brussels has “held back from using funds for purchases from Turkiye because of resistance from France, Greece, and Cyprus.”
Turkiye witnessed a thaw in its relations with the US after Ankara cleared Sweden'sbid to join NATO. In exchange for this, in January, Washington authorized Turkiye's long-awaited purchase of F-16 fighter jets and upgrade kits.
Tensions spiked between Ankara and Washington in 2017 when the West Asian country chose Russian military hardware over the US-made equivalent by purchasing Russia’s S-400 missile system.
Turkiye accepted the first of four missile batteries in July 2019. A week later, the United States dropped its NATO ally from the F-35 fighter program and threatened to impose sanctions on specific Turkish individuals.
Victoria Nuland, the former US official who held the Ukraine portfolio at the State Department, told CNN Turk in January that Washington would be “delighted to welcome Turkiye back into the F-35 family,” provided the issue of Russian weapon systems is “resolved.”
As Ankara moves to indirectly boost Ukraine's ammo supplies in the war against Russia, the country has also proven to be an essential ally for Israel in its genocide in Gaza by continuing to export large quantities of steel and cement as well as precious metals, chemicals, insecticides, nuclear reactor parts, gunpowder, explosives, aircraft parts, and weapons and ammunition.