Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) will produce artillery charges worth more than $80 million for an international customer, which ordered several hundred thousand Tactical Modular Charges.
Rheinmetall on 7 April said the order was booked at the end of March, with deliveries set for 2021.
Made by Rheinmetall Denel Munition, Tactical Modular Charges are designed to propel 155 mm artillery shells. Their modular design simplifies logistics as well as handling procedures in self-propelled howitzer systems, Rheinmetall said. “Other positive characteristics of this advanced Rheinmetall Denel Munition product include reduced barrel wear (RDM’s Barrel Wear Reducer/BWR) and lower muzzle flash (RDM’s Muzzle Flash Reducer/MFR); the former results in longer barrel life, the latter makes the artillery system harder for the enemy to detect.”
Rheinmetall said it possesses comprehensive expertise in the world of advanced indirect fire systems – those that meet the criteria contained in the NATO Joint Ballistics Memorandum of Understanding (JBMoU) as well as non-JBMoU systems. “The Group demonstrated its technological superiority in this field at the end of 2019. During test firing at the Alkantpan proving ground in South Africa, three new maximum ranges were attained with different guns. A 52-calibre G6 howitzer hurled a shell 76 kilometres, the longest ranged ever attained by a conventional 155 mm artillery projectile. The 52-calibre main gun of the PzH2000 self-propelled howitzer achieved a range of 67 kilometres, while a 39-calibre field howitzer reached 54 kilometres.”
RDM is investing in a feasibility study to extend their 155 mm Assegai range to between 60 and 100 km and state that they have already started looking into the technical options. The company is continuously looking at ways to improve its 155 mm Assegai products.
Jointly owned by Rheinmetall Waffe Munition GmbH (51%) of Germany and Denel (Pty) Ltd, RDM has a product portfolio encompassing eight key competencies with artillery ammunition at the core. RDM contributes almost 10% (200 million euros) of turnover to the Rheinmetall Group.
RDM earlier this year said it has a lot of demand at the moment for artillery ammunition, but is not allowed to mention customer names and volumes. However, the company did say that Australia is one of its key customers and partners of the future, having placed large orders for 155 mm ammunition for its M777 howitzers – once the product is qualified in this weapon, it will open up markets to other users of this gun.
