Germany has become the largest ammunition producer in the world

Scope of Germany’s Ammunition Surge

• Germany is reported as the largest producer of certain ammunition types, notably 155mm shells and “medium-caliber” rounds.
• Ramp-up figures cited: artillery shells from ~70k to 1.1M/year, medium-caliber from ~800k to 4M/year.
• Main driver in the thread: supplying Ukraine, replenishing depleted European stocks, and deterring Russia.
• Some note Germany is also expanding drone cooperation with Ukraine, though still far behind leading drone producers.

Artillery vs. Drones: Is Germany “Fighting the Last War”?

• One camp argues WWII-style artillery is becoming obsolete; future wars will be dominated by drones with longer range, precision, and lower cost.
• Claims include: Ukraine now causes ~95–96% of Russian casualties via drones; over 50% of its procurement goes to drones vs ~15% to artillery; FPV “kill zones” reportedly extending 15–25 km and potentially 50–100 km.
• Some predict that once drone kill zones exceed ~30 km, tube artillery and its logistics will be unsustainable (possibly by 2027).

Counterargument: Artillery Still Essential

• Others stress artillery’s role in static frontlines and ground control; drones add, but do not replace, artillery.
• Shells are cheaper per effect, non-jammable, and can be guided with small electronics while drones do spotting.
• Even with heavy drone use, Ukraine and Russia reportedly still fire 10k+ shells per day; without artillery, Ukraine would “lose in weeks.”
• Concerns raised about “camera bias”: every drone strike is filmed and shared, inflating perceived relative impact vs unfilmed shelling.
• Artillery units use shoot-and-scoot tactics and remain hard/expensive to destroy reliably with small drones, especially under heavy electronic warfare.

Production Numbers & Doctrinal Context

• Comparisons made: Germany’s 1.1M/year vs US ~672k/year vs claims of North Korea producing ~2M 152mm shells in peacetime.
• Participants warn these comparisons may mix calibers, timeframes, and quality levels; real capacity and stockpiles remain unclear.
• US and Western underinvestment in shells since the Cold War is noted; the US doctrine leans more on airpower and navy, less on massed artillery, while states like North Korea emphasize artillery as a primary deterrent.

Ethical, Political, and Industrial Debates

• Some criticize Germany for arming Israel and contributing to high civilian casualties in Gaza/Lebanon; others dispute casualty figures and blame militant groups’ tactics.
• There is tension between calls to shift German industry into “peaceful” sectors (e.g., semiconductors) and arguments that proximity to Russia makes arms production a priority.
• Discussion of a “social stigma premium” for defense jobs: many workers avoid arms manufacturers unless paid more.