US Army ammo plant boosts artillery shell production for Ukraine

SCRANTON, Pa. — A Pennsylvania ammunition plant that makes a key artillery shell in Ukraine’s fight against Russia has managed to boost production by 50% to meet surging demand, with more capacity set to come on line.

Government officials revealed the increase in production this week as they showcased the historic factory’s ongoing, $400 million modernization.

The Scranton Army Ammunition Plant cuts and forges 2,000-pound bars of steel into 155mm howitzer rounds that are then shipped to Iowa to be packed with explosives and fitted with fuses. From there, many of them make their way to the fight in Ukraine, where they are highly sought.

The Scranton plant, along with two other ammunition plants in nearby Wilkes-Barre, recently increased production from 24,000 rounds per month to 36,000 rounds per month. Three new production lines are under development that will allow the Scranton facility to churn out even more of the critical munitions, the factory’s top official said.

“Right now we’re concentrating on 155. That’s pretty much all we’re concentrating on,” Richard Hansen, the Army commander’s representative at the plant, said Tuesday while giving news outlets a tour of the sprawling factory grounds near downtown Scranton.

“We’re working really hard to ensure that we achieve the goal that the Pentagon has established.”

Richard Hansen, the Army commander's representative at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, leans on a display during a plant tour Tuesday. (Matt Slocum/AP)

The U.S. has sent more than 3 million 155mm artillery rounds to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in 2022, according to government figures. Earlier this month, the White House announced another $125 million in weapons to assist Ukraine in its military operations against Russia, including 155mm shells.

The Scranton factory began life as a locomotive repair shop at the beginning of the 20th century before the Army bought it and converted it into a production facility for large-caliber artillery for the Korean War. It's been operated by General Dynamics since 2006 under contract with the U.S. government, which owns the plant.

Officials are about halfway through one of the biggest modernization projects in plant history, with about 20 projects underway. Tuesday’s tour included a new production line with a sleek new machine that will do the job of three, helping maximize use of space at the 500,000-square-foot factory.

The plant employs about 300 people, according to a General Dynamics spokesperson. Some of them have been there for decades running the equipment that cuts the steel, heats it to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and forges, machines, washes and paints the finished shells. Each round is manually inspected at each step to ensure it meets specifications.

“We want it go where we point it,” Hansen said. “We want it to go as far as we need it to go to do its job. Lives depend on it — the lives of the gun crew, the lives of innocent civilians depend on this round doing exactly what we want it to do out in the field.”

宾夕法尼亚州斯克兰顿——一家位于宾夕法尼亚州的弹药厂生产乌克兰对抗俄罗斯的关键炮弹，为了满足激增的需求，该厂已成功将产量提高了 50%，并且还有更多产能即将投入使用。

本周，政府官员在展示这家历史悠久的工厂正在进行的耗资 4 亿美元的现代化改造项目时，透露了产量增加的消息。

斯克兰顿陆军弹药厂将重达2000磅的钢条切割锻造成155毫米榴弹炮弹，然后运往爱荷华州装填炸药并安装引信。之后，其中许多炮弹被送往乌克兰战场，在那里它们备受青睐。

斯克兰顿工厂以及附近威尔克斯-巴里市的另外两家弹药厂最近将月产量从24000发提高到36000发。该工厂的一位高层官员表示，目前正在开发三条新的生产线，这将使斯克兰顿工厂能够生产更多关键弹药。

“目前我们正集中精力在155号工厂。这几乎就是我们全部的精力所在。”陆军司令部驻该工厂的代表理查德·汉森周二在带领新闻媒体参观斯克兰顿市中心附近庞大的工厂场地时说道。

“我们正在努力确保实现五角大楼制定的目标。”

周二，陆军司令部代表理查德·汉森在斯克兰顿陆军弹药厂参观期间，倚靠在展板上。（马特·斯洛克姆/美联社）

据美国政府数据显示，自2022年俄罗斯入侵乌克兰以来，美国已向乌克兰运送了超过300万发155毫米炮弹。本月初，白宫宣布将再提供价值1.25亿美元的武器，用于协助乌克兰开展对抗俄罗斯的军事行动，其中包括155毫米炮弹。

斯克兰顿工厂最初是20世纪初的一家机车修理厂，后来被美国陆军收购并改建为朝鲜战争时期大口径火炮的生产基地。自2006年以来，该工厂一直由通用动力公司根据与美国政府签订的合同进行运营，而美国政府拥有该工厂的所有权。

工厂正在进行一项规模空前的现代化改造项目，目前已完成近一半，约有20个项目正在进行中。周二的参观活动包括一条新的生产线，生产线上配备了一台外形时尚的新机器，这台机器可以完成三台机器的工作，从而最大限度地利用这座占地50万平方英尺的工厂的空间。

据通用动力公司发言人称，该工厂雇佣了约300名员工。其中一些人已在那里工作了几十年，负责操作切割钢材、将其加热至华氏2000度（约摄氏1093度）、锻造、机械加工、清洗和涂漆等设备，最终完成炮弹的制造。每枚炮弹在每个工序都经过人工检验，以确保符合规格要求。

“我们希望它指哪打哪，”汉森说。“我们希望它射程远，能够完成它的使命。生命取决于此——炮组人员的生命，无辜平民的生命都取决于这枚炮弹在战场上能否精准地执行我们的指令。”