16 Dec 25. Ukraine ramp up ‘Horoshok’ anti-drone ammunition. The military plan to induct 400,000 rounds per month to bring down enemy FPVs or Mavic-class drones. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Ukraine has committed to producing up to 400,000 rounds of ammunition to bring down uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). The current rate of production of these anti-drone rounds is not known but the small arms ammunition, named ‘Horoshok’ rounds – which come in two calibres: 5.56×45 mm and 5.45×39 mm – can be fired from standard service rifles. Such rounds, the MoD stated, can engage enemy drones at distances of up to 50 and 60 metres, respectively. The “specialised projectile” enhances the probability of a successful hit, and crucially, the rounds can be loaded into the standard magazine, enabling immediate engagement of enemy drones.
Meeting the UAV threat with rifles
Due to the modernisation of the Ukrainian military, however, there are numerous rifle types, although generally the government aim to transition from legacy weapons such as the AK-74 toward Nato standard weapons like the AR-15 and Czech Bren 2. Even this transition is made more complicated by the fact that in 2024, the Ministry of Defence codified and adopted approximately 30 new models of small arms. Still, it is believed that Western-made assault rifles – using 5.56x45mm Nato rounds – deliver higher bullet energy than the Soviet 5.45x39mm small arms ammunition. The persistent threat of UAVs in a land-based, attritional war has seen both sides leverage whatever anti-drone methods they have immediately available. While some Russian mobile units are known to drive motorcycles to evade Ukrainian drones, the Ukrainian Army, likewise, must lean on standard issue rifles to protect against the whirring threat. The global missile defence industry, within which GlobalData intelligence places Europe as the leading geographic segment, is beginning to confront the UAV peril. An Estonian missile maker, Frankenburg, for example, is developing a relatively low cost ($50,000 per unit compared to a $500m Stinger missile) short range missile interceptor humbly named ‘Mark I’.
Russian UAVs
The Ukrainian MoD states that the boost in anti-drone Horoshok ammunition is intended to meet the threat of two types of Russian-operated drones, First-Person View (FPV) and Mavic-class systems. FPV systems are said to be the most common drone in the war. It is a system comprising a quadcopter drone, a remote control station and an operator with special goggles. These small, remotely controlled UAVs are always evolving, with the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noting on 9 October that Russian developers introduced fibre-optic FPV UAVs that make these systems resistant to jamming. According to the Washington open source intelligence platform, these new systems can function as “repeater drones” relaying data to mission drones, strike or reconnaissance UAVs, extending Russian tactical drone ranges from around 15 to 60 kilometres. Likewise, Mavic-class drones are dual-use, foldable quadcopter UAVs produced by the Chinese company, DJI. The ISW also reported their use to target Ukrainian infantry on the ground. These combined UAV tactics, which also leverage electronic warfare systems for jamming, demonstrate the mass effect and layered assault methods of the Russian military. (Source: army-technology.com)
15 Dec 25. As US ramps up munitions production, South Korea and Australia want in. South Korea and Australia are offering to relieve Washington’s strained defense supplier network, as U.S. defense planners grapple with bottlenecks in munitions production. One partial solution is for overseas-based arms manufacturers to set up shop in the United States – something that Hanwha Aerospace from South Korea is proposing – and another is for American companies to build manufacturing facilities offshore. An example of the latter tactic is a new Lockheed Martin factory that recently opened in South Australia.
Korean capacity
Hanwha Aerospace plans to establish an automated plant in the United States for producing propellant, modular charge systems and so-called base-bleed units for artillery systems. The addition of base-bleed technology extends an artillery round’s range by reducing the drag of the projectile’s base during flight.
“Our goal is to bring this vertically integrated, fully automated production capability to the United States,” Juliana Kim, project lead for Hanwha’s precision guided munition division, told a group of journalists during a company-sponsored factory tour in South Korea last month.
Hanwha is set to announce a site for the company-owned, company-operated propellant plant soon. Ground-breaking should occur in Q3 of 2026, with construction set to take three years. The plant will manufacture nitrocellulose, nitroglycerin, nitroguanidine, triple-base propellant, and feature a load-assemble-pack line for modular artillery charge systems. Capable of producing approximately 1.5 m modules for 155mm artillery modular charge systems per year, Hanwha executives said they are ready to invest $1 bn in the facility. Once fully operational, the plant could generate $500 m in revenue annually, according to the company.
A base-bleed unit line would require additional investment of $240 m, according to Hanwha calculations.
“By 2030, our goal is to produce fully U.S.-localized modular charges using U.S.-made raw materials from our plant,” Kim explained. Future options include solid rocket motor production in the U.S. too.
Hanwha Aerospace produces more than 90% of South Korea’s warhead and propulsion systems. The company is in the process of building a factory for modular charges at its Boeun site in South Korea. That factory is slated to take just two years to construct.
Lee Woo Jin, head of the company’s Yeosu Plant, explained this factory will have an annual capacity of about 250,000 complete modular charge systems.
“This new facility will begin operations in early to mid-2027, effectively doubling Hanwha’s export-ready modular charge system capacity,” he said.
Australian alternate
The U.S. can also assure production resilience by setting up facilities overseas. This is what Lockheed Martin has done, as it leverages the Australian government’s desire for greater self-sufficiency. Under Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise, Lockheed Martin Australia opened a new government-owned factory in Port Wakefield, around 60 miles from Adelaide, on Dec. 5. The first product to emerge from the facility is Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rockets and launch pod containers. In fact, this is the first time GMLRS has been assembled outside the U.S.
“Starting missile production in Australia this year is a major step in building the industrial strength our nation needs,” Defence Minister Richard Marles said. “It’s about creating advanced manufacturing capability that will serve Australia for decades to come.”
Initially, the facility is only assembling GMLRS kit components, with fuller production integrating selected domestic components to occur from 2029. A bilateral government agreement inked in March 2024 forged a pathway for production of up to 4,000 GMLRS rockets annually.
This is more than ten times what Australia needs for itself, so exports have always been part of Lockheed Martin’s thinking.
“So we’re not just looking at Australian consumption; we’re looking at the global supply chain,” James Heading, director and general manager of missiles and fire control at Lockheed Martin Australia, said.
The company already has eyes on producing additional, longer-range weapons in Australia, including the GMLRS-ER and the Precision Strike Missile and perhaps hypersonic technology later on, Heading said. As for pricing, the executive said that within three to five years “we should be achieving price parity, if not better, in the Australian market,” compared to U.S. production. (Source: Defense News)