In a new military aid package, Germany will provide Ukraine with a batch of long-range guided missiles Vulcano. What are these shells? Why are they important to us?
It should be noted that this is not the first delivery of Vulcano long-range guided missiles. At the end of summer 2022, Germany already provided 255 such munitions to Ukraine, so our Armed Forces have already had the opportunity to evaluate their capabilities and high efficiency.
The new military aid package includes up to 2,000 pieces of 155mm artillery shells. A separate item on the list is a certain amount of unnamed 155mm precision artillery munitions. It is not known for certain what type of precision artillery ammunition will be transferred by Germany. However, it is known that the Bundeswehr is in service with two types of artillery systems of this class: Vulcano high-explosive fragmentation and SMArt 155 cluster munitions. So, we hope that we will have 155 mm Vulcano guided artillery shells.
Let’s talk about these precision artillery munitions in more detail.
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What is known about Vulcano shells?
Vulcano artillery shells are a new type of weapon. Their development took place in recent years, with the supply of shells to the army starting only in 2020, and the war in Ukraine was the first combat test for the new product. A special feature of the shells is their long range: the manufacturer’s website, the Italian company Leonardo, claims a range of 70 km, and at the Sea Air Space 2019 exhibition, they even talked about 90 kilometres or more. Thus, a gun with such projectiles can compete with the most effective weapon of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Himars MLRS. And even slightly surpass it.
Vulcano is a whole family of long-range guided artillery munitions. It includes long-range ballistic munitions (BER) and long-range guided munitions (GLR). The concept was developed by the Italian company OTO Melara, but in 2016 this company merged with Leonardo Defence Systems. These projectiles are available in 76 mm, 127 mm and 155 mm calibres. The 76 mm and 127 mm calibres are used on warships, while the 155 mm calibre is used by ground artillery systems.
These shells have a range of 60-100 km. Of course, we won’t be able to use 76mm and 127mm calibres, but the 155mm calibre is already in use at the frontline. In this article, I will talk specifically about 155-mm Vulcano guided missiles used by ground artillery systems.
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Long-range and unified artillery projectile Vulcano
The Vulcano artillery projectile is a joint development of the Italian company Oto Melara (now Leonardo) and the German company Diehl Defence for integration into the German PzH 2000 howitzers. Vulcano projectiles have also been tested by the French CAESAR howitzer. Work on the development of the projectile began in the mid-2000s, and in 2008, the first promotional materials and even finished components were presented. In the 2010s, the projectile design in various configurations, along with several types of weapons, reached the testing stage. Thus, in 2014, the first successful tests of Vulcano projectiles took place at the Alkantpan military training ground in South Africa. It is known that the fire was conducted from the PzH 2000 launcher with serially produced shells in both guided (GSP&SAL) and unguided versions. Due to the limited size of the range, fire was fired at a distance of just over 50 km. However, the tests were very successful, and the projectiles were approved by customers. OTO Melara and Diehl Defence were given the opportunity to improve their designs.
Two versions of the project were developed simultaneously. The first, Vulcano BER (Ballistic Extended Range), was unguided and was supposed to have an extended range. The second version, Vulcano GLR (Guided Long Range), was also long-range, but equipped with guidance devices. The projectiles of both versions are as unified as possible.
Vulcano was developed for use with artillery systems of various calibres. Depending on the requirements of the weapon, different types of Vulcano projectiles are used, either unitary or split-loading.
Currently, manufacturers offer Vulcano artillery shells in three calibres. For NATO-standard naval artillery, 76 mm and 127 mm unitary ammunition is used. Land-based systems use a 155 mm split-loader projectile.
Serial production of Vulcano GLR projectiles began in 2021. The first customers of these products were the Italian and Qatari armed forces. They purchased the 155 mm version of the projectile for towed and self-propelled artillery systems.
At the moment, Vulcano is one of the most advanced guided artillery shells on the arms market. Vulcano guided shells outperform other similar 155mm guided artillery munitions in terms of both range and accuracy. These rounds are used to engage critical targets such as command posts, radars, air defence systems, and long-range artillery systems behind enemy lines.
In 2022, 225 of these guided artillery shells were delivered to Ukraine to protect it from Russian invasion. The purchase of these shells was funded by Germany and the European Union. Currently, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are using French CAESAR howitzers, Polish Krab howitzers and German PzH 2000 howitzers that are compatible with Vulcano ammunition. This is the first combat use of Vulcano ammunition.
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Capabilities of Vulcano artillery shells
The two versions of Vulcano shells are as similar as possible, meaning that Vulcano guided shells resemble conventional shells. They are compatible with existing artillery systems with 155 mm barrels. These are sub-calibre munitions in an elongated body with a pointed head fairing and six stabilisers in the tail section. The projectile body consists of pre-formed tungsten rings. The guided version of the projectile also has X-shaped rudders located behind the fairing.
Several models of guide devices have been developed for use with various types of artillery systems. They adjust the calibre of the entire system to the required calibre and also protect the steering wheel and stabiliser. A characteristic feature of these devices is the stepped-shaped main part. After exiting the barrel, the guide device is reset and the projectile begins to fly independently.
The guided Vulcano GLR is equipped with a homing head with satellite and inertial navigation devices. Vulcano projectiles use inertial guidance at midcourse to maintain a ballistic arc. There are aerodynamic controls for flight control. In addition, these controls allow the projectile to plan, thus increasing the range. In the final phase, the trajectory is corrected based on GPS data. This method of guidance allows for high accuracy in hitting stationary targets. The circular probable deviation of Vulcano projectiles is claimed to be less than 5 metres. The homing head can be replaced by a semi-active laser head of the SAL (Semi-Active Laser) type, which guides the projectile to an illuminated target. The target should be illuminated for several seconds. Once the laser signal is detected, the on-board guidance system guides the projectile to the target. This allows special forces and reconnaissance units operating behind enemy lines to engage specific priority targets. The use of such warheads reduces collateral damage.
All versions of the projectile are equipped with a high-explosive warhead with semi-finished warheads. Detonation is carried out by a programmable fuze with a radio altimeter. Depending on the programme, the munition can be detonated at a predetermined height, upon contact with a target or surface, or with a selected delay. The weight of the charge is lower than that of the classic 155 mm projectile, but it has a higher velocity and – in the GLR version – a programmable fuse, which increases the effectiveness of the fire.
The Vulcano GLR has developed its own “integration kit” to work with the electronics of the projectile. It includes a computer for fire control and calculations, and communications for targeting. In addition, there is a programmer device for entering the data of the homing head. During the preparation for the shot, it is applied to the head of the projectile, i.e. information is transmitted by induction. The accuracy of the hit is achieved by combining the INS/GPS targeting system with a semi-active laser guidance system. It operates at the last stage of the flight and increases the effectiveness of hitting moving targets.
The reduced calibre and optimised aerodynamics have resulted in high combat performance. For example, the Vulcano in the unguided BER version can be fired from a 155 mm gun with a 39-calibre barrel to a range of 36 km, and with a 52-calibre barrel, the range increases to 50 km. The guided Vulcano GLR, when fired with a 52-calibre barrel (such as Caesar, Polish Krab or PzH 2000), flies even further, with a range of 70-80 km, and sometimes even up to 100 km.
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Unique range of Vulcano projectiles
The unique range of the Vulcano projectile (even if we take 70 km instead of 90 km) is ensured by several features of the projectile design. Firstly, the munition is sub-calibre. This means that its diameter is slightly smaller than the 155 mm calibre of modern NATO howitzers (this is the calibre of almost all artillery supplied to Ukraine).
On the one hand, this slightly reduces the amount of explosive, but on the other hand, it reduces air resistance, allowing the projectile to fly further without the need to increase the powder charge. The sub-calibre projectiles are distinguished by their high velocity – Vulcano leaves the barrel at a speed of 1130 m/s. This acceleration allows for a significant increase in the range of the projectile.
The second common way to fire long-range projectiles is through the so-called bottom gas generator. It is not yet known for certain whether Vulcano is equipped with such a system – neither the manufacturer nor other sources have said so directly. We have found the only hint that this device is still used in the munition – a tweet by British arms analyst and consultant Nicholas Drummond, where he explicitly calls Vulcano “baser bleed ammunition”, i.e. “bottom gas generator ammunition”. This is more than likely – the range of the projectile is very high, and it is unlikely that the creators could have done without such an effective way to increase it.
Finally, the third way to send a projectile to the maximum distance is to make it glide. Then, starting from a certain time after the shot, the munition no longer follows a ballistic trajectory, but rather plans to cover a long distance. For this purpose, the projectile is equipped with stabilisers (“wings”) and a rudder system.
The combination of the above factors allows the Vulcano to be sent over a gigantic distance of up to 70 km and beyond. To enable snipers to hit targets at this distance, the manufacturers have equipped the munition with several control systems. Firstly, the projectile has a conventional inertial system (the projectile can roughly determine its position without any external targeting). Secondly, Vulcano has a GPS satellite correction capability – like HIMARS missiles. This allows it to hit with exceptional accuracy: at the maximum range, the deviation is about a metre.
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Why Vulcano shells are very important for our Victory
Despite the fact that it is not yet known how much Vulcano ammunition the Ukrainian army will receive, and there is no specific information on its use, the very fact that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have such ammunition in service is encouraging. This is yet another proof that Western partners supply Ukraine not only with decommissioned military equipment and old, deconserved ammunition from warehouses, but also with modern weapons.
During the war, we repeatedly heard the phrase that “artillery wins wars”. Of course, this statement is not without hyperbole, but the role of artillery in modern warfare is indeed very important. Artillery destroys enemy fortifications, ammunition depots, concentrations of military equipment and manpower, and provides cover for its infantry units on the battlefield. According to various estimates, at least 85% of the losses in this war are caused by artillery.
Unfortunately, the Russian army still has the advantage in terms of the number of artillery barrels, so the Ukrainian Armed Forces have no choice but to fight with quality rather than quantity. The quality of both the artillery itself and the shells for it. After all, for artillery to perform its functions efficiently and smoothly, it must be provided with high-quality ammunition in sufficient quantities.
This is where high-precision projectiles such as Vulcano come to the fore. They allow us to hit enemy targets at a great distance, and most importantly, accurately, destroying ammunition depots, command posts and enemy formations. That is why we are sincerely grateful to our Western partners for their support and supply of modern weapons.
We believe in our defenders. The invaders will not escape from retribution. Death to the enemies! Glory to the Armed Forces! Glory to Ukraine!
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