Indian shells bolster Ukrainian frontline amid supply shortages
In Ukraine, photos of tankers with high-explosive fragmentation ammunition originating from distant India are becoming more frequent. We present the performance of these shells and explain how they may have reached Ukraine.
The war in Ukraine consumes a vast number of artillery, tank, or mortar shells, which are acquired from around the world by Western countries. One of the most intriguing sources of supplies is India, which was likely one of the non-EU suppliers for the Czech ammunition initiative.
A correlation is noted between the increased appearance of Indian ammunition photos in Ukraine and the Czech Prime Minister's statements about delivering the first batch of ammunition to Ukraine. It turns out that besides 155 mm calibre artillery ammunition, Ukraine also received 125 mm calibre tank ammunition from India.
125 mm high-explosive fragmentation shells from India — here’s why they are very important
The shells visible in the photo appear to come from the state factory Munitions India Limited (MIL). These are simple high-explosive fragmentation shells, which are a licensed version of the Soviet OF26.
The complete shell along with the propellant charge weighs 33 kg, and its own weight is 23 kg. It consists of an impact fuse and a cast steel shell filled with about 3 kg of TNT.
During an explosion, it generates around 2,000 fragments, with a deadly impact range of about 40 metres. However, this only applies to open terrain because earth fortifications provide good protection against them. For this reason, many countries have now created or are conducting research on programmable ammunition that detonates in the air above trenches. Russians and foreign users of this ammunition are still lagging behind Western countries.
Nevertheless, even such simple unguided shells like OF26 could pose a great threat if enough of them hit the target. The Ukrainians mainly use their tanks as artillery with a range of 10-11 km or for raids on Russian strongpoints, during which dozens of high-explosive fragmentation shells are used.
Ukrainian reserves of Soviet-era ammunition have long been exhausted, and NATO countries, with the exception of Bulgaria, Poland, or the Czech Republic, have limited production capabilities of, among other things, 125 mm shells. For this reason, these are sourced from the farthest corners of the world, and one of the best sources of Soviet-era ammunition is India, which for decades was one of Russia’s largest customers.
