In order to engage high-value targets effectively and extend the range of its own artillery, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence is apparently planning to procure 155 mm Vulcano ammunition.
This is evident from one of the three memoranda of understanding signed last Sunday in Kyiv by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence and the German defence contractor Diehl Defence.
According to the Office of the President of Ukraine, this officially concerns “only” the development and procurement of high-precision artillery munitions. However, in the editorial team’s view, this refers – at least in the short term – to the supply of Vulcano artillery ammunition.
A very limited number of these – 255 shells – had already been supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the past and were proven to have been used by a Ukrainian crew operating a PzH 2000 donated by Germany.
The Vulcano family
Developed by Leonardo and Diehl Defence, the 155 mm Vulcano artillery shell is available in two variants – Ballistic Extended Range (BER) and Guided Long Range (GLR).
The Vulcano 155 BER is an artillery shell with a significantly increased range of around 50 kilometres when fired from a 52-calibre system such as the PzH 2000 or the RCH 155. This range far exceeds that of standard shells and even base-bleed shells.
Although BER shells are unguided, they nevertheless achieve the highest possible accuracy under the given circumstances.
A further significant increase in range – to a total of around 70 kilometres with the calibre 52 – and improved accuracy are guaranteed by the guided Vulcano 155 GLR shells, which can for example combine GPS guidance with target illumination during the final phase of flight.
This ensures a CEP of no more than five metres, which not only reduces collateral damage but also maximises the desired effect on the target.
Vulcano in Ukraine
After the commitment to supply just 255 shells financed by the German government was made public in August 2022, the first delivery reached the Armed Forces of Ukraine more than half a year later, in March 2023.
As of October 2026, there is only one piece of visual evidence of its deployment. A video published several years ago shows a Ukrainian soldier from the 43rd Artillery Brigade in a PzH 2000 donated by Germany, manually loading and firing a Vulcano 155 BER shell.
No confirmed information is available regarding specific operations, exact quantities of the variants supplied or other details. According to publicly available information, it is also unclear whether the Vulcano 155 GLR was affected by Russian countermeasures, although this can be assumed to be the case.
The same was true for the M982 Excalibur shell, which, according to media reports, lost any justification for its use as a result of Russian countermeasures. According to a report in the US newspaper The New York Times, its hit rate fell from 55% in January 2023 to just 6% in August 2023.
This is probably one of the reasons why, according to the defence publication EDR, manufacturer Leonardo has developed a mode in which at least some GLR shells can be programmed to specific coordinates and fired in the same way as BER shells.
Whilst this does reduce the maximum range of the GLR shells, they behave like BER shells for the majority of their flight and cannot be influenced when this mode is used. This means that, at least within the range of a BER shell (around 50 kilometres), a maximum CEP of three metres can still be guaranteed.
For this reason, too, it is possible that the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence will, in future, procure guided Vulcano artillery shells in addition to unguided ones.
When and how quickly the first shells could be delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine depends on various factors – such as when the contract is signed and the agreed delivery quantity.
An industry insider told GAU that, in his view, under optimal conditions, a first delivery of several hundred shells could already be completed before the end of the year.
Further contents
As described earlier, a total of three memoranda of understanding were signed last Sunday.
Whilst one dealt with the potential procurement of 155 mm Vulcano shells, the other two enable the procurement of further IRIS-T SLM fire units and a four-digit number of IRIS-T missiles.
According to the German Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius, the latter are to be purchased by Ukraine using funds from the EU’s Ukraine Support Loan.
GAU recently reported exclusively on the delivery of a further IRIS-T SLM fire unit to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Procuring further fire units would enable the Ukrainian Air Force to be further comprehensively modernised and ensure deliveries continue beyond 2028.
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