Thomas C. Theiner Profile picture
Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus. Now: Film, Documentaries Ex: Comando Truppe Alpine

Jul 20, 2023, 19 tweets

A new Pentagon budget realignment file dropped (thank you @osmnactej for finding it).

Again it has a lot of interesting info about what weapons have been sent to Ukraine... and what the Pentagon is ordering more than $2 billion from the US industry to replace it.
1/22

• $105.5m Javelin Anti-tank guided missiles
• $3.35m M67 Hand grenades

It seems a lot of smoke grenades have been given to Ukraine (which are used by infantry as here in Iraq):
• $2.78m M18 Smoke grenades (Red)
• $0.59m M18 Smoke grenades (Yellow)
• $1.55m M8 Smoke Pots
2/n

• $38.4m M7A4 Bradley Fire Support Team (BFIST) artillery forward observer vehicles
• $15.6m 25mm ammo for the Bradleys' M242 chain gun
• $1.14m Bradley spares
• $0.2m Bradley Operator Tablets

3/n

Other infantry equipment:
• $3.06m M2 and M240 machine guns, and M2 modifications
• $3.05m M2 .50 ammo

Until now the US delivered $2.18m in night vision devices to Ukraine... this time: $58.14m!
• $29.6m PVS-7 Night Vision Goggles
• $28.5m PVS-14 Night Vision Monoculars
4/n

M1235A4 MaxxPro DASH OGPK vehicles & M1151A1 Integrated Armor Package Humvees given to Ukraine are being replaced with JLTV Heavy Gun vehicles respectively M1165A1B3 Expanded Capacity Command & Control/General Purpose Humvees.

• $51.1m JLTV
• $23.3m M1165A1B3
5/n

A lot of demolition munitions for breaching obstacles, with three things standing out:

• $7.86m Clearing charges
• $3.01m MP03 Bangalore Torpedo Demolition Kits
• $3.32m MK155 Mine Clearance System Launcher
6/n

Ukraine also received Selectable Lightweight Attack Munition (SLAM), which is a demolition munition AND an off-route mine AND a belly attack mine. It can be triggered by the operator, by its passive infrared sensor or its magnetic influence sensor, in

• $2.65m M4A1 SLAM
7/n

short I think this means Ukrainian special forces and partisans are placing SLAMs in the russian rear to ambush russian vehicles.

And now let's move on to artillery, which at $1.634 billion is once again forms the lion's share of the Pentagon's acquisitions.
8/n

• $122.4m for M992A3 Carrier Ammunition Tracked (CAT) vehicles, which carry extra rounds and charges for the M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers given to Ukraine.

In total the Pentagon is buying $1 billion of M109A7 and M992A3 CATs in FY23. So it is likely Ukraine will
9/n

receive more M109A6 in the future.

The realignment file also contains a "classified effort"... but thanks to the overall acquisition sum for this effort I can say that it is GMLRS rockets:

• $71.3m "classified effort" ($2,1 billion in FY23) = around 12,450 M30/M31 rockets
10/n

$193.7m are spent on "Ammunition Production Base Support Industrial Facilities":

• $18.5m for increased 155mm acceptance testing
• $24.7m for new Iowa Army Ammunition Plant (pictured) industrial facilities and
• $150.5m for new Load, Assemble and Pack (LAP) facilities

11/n

In total the Pentagon has spent by now at least $777.55m to increase US 155mm artillery ammo production capacity. Another $65m is being spent on the facilitization of HF-1 Steel for artillery shells.
For the first time the Pentagon is listing High Explosives for artillery
12/n

ammo production, which makes me suspect it has to be bought it from a foreign source:
• $32.1m IMX-104 for undisclosed 155mm rounds
• $47.6m TNT for M795 artillery rounds

The Pentagon is also spending $123m for redesigned components for obsolete Excalibur parts, which
12/n

will allow the increase of Excalibur production.
Speaking of which:

• $41.1m M982A1 Excalibur ($801.8m FY23 total = around 8,000 rounds), which are being used extensively by Ukraine to hit russian vehicles and equipment.


13/n

Other artillery ammo:

• $70.6m M795 High Explosive rounds
• $158m for undisclosed "155mm extended range projectiles", which I suspect are the new M1113 RAP projectiles, which replace M549A1 RAP.

Due to its streamlined shape and high-performance rocket motor the M1113
14/n

has a range of 40+ km (M549A1 RAP: 30km). Likely Ukraine is receiving all the remaining M549A1 RAP.

As for fuzes - the Pentagon is ordering two:
• $15.15m M739 Point Detonating fuzes
• $76.48m M767 Electronic Time fuzes

The latter is a surprise... I would have expected
15/n

an order for M762 Electronic Time fuzes, which are used for base ejecting projectiles... like the M483A1 DPICM and M864 DPICM cluster munitions projectiles.

M767 is used with High Explosive rounds or i.e. M110 Smoke projectiles... it could be that the US is running out of
16/n

M739 fuzes and using the M767, which includes a point detonating option, as a interim solution until M739 production can be ramped up (The Pentagon earmarked $33m for a new M739 production line in July 2022).

17/n

No howitzer can function without charges... and this time the Pentagon is spending $541.27m on charges (!) and another $70m on MACS material.

And this is interesting: so far the Pentagon ordered only M231 (pictured the green blocks) and M232A1 charges, and also spent $265m
18/n

Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.

A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.

Keep scrolling