The whole nature set matters more than any single record range.
Rheinmetall Denel Munition, Nammo and General Dynamics all publish strong 155mm figures, and where they publish, we say so plainly. The argument for our line is that it covers the natures a gun consumes in one battle, high explosive in both extended-range forms, smoke, illuminating and practice, from a high-volume maker outside the major-power blocs whose supply rests on end-use terms rather than a distant capital's release schedule.
Our 155mm line is produced at national scale by an established high-volume ammunition maker with decades of ordnance manufacture behind it, not a start-up round chasing a range headline. Natures are represented only once classification and the end-use-certificate chain are confirmed, and no specific fielding is claimed here beyond that established production record.
Side by side
| Attribute | Represented by Unstrat155mm Artillery Ammunition | Rheinmetall Denel MunitionAssegai projectile family4South Africa / Germany | Nammo155 mm series (HE-ER, IM HE-ER, TP-ER)321Norway | General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical SystemsM795 HE and MR103 training round56United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nature set breadth436Assegai and our line both cover the full screening, illumination and practice set alongside HE; the Nammo 155 series and the GD OTS conventional line publish HE and training natures but not smoke or illuminating. | High explosive extended-range full-bore in boat-tail and base-bleed forms, smoke, illuminating and practice, from one producer | HE, IM HE, IM HE preformed fragmentation, velocity-enhanced long-range (VLAP), screening smoke, red-phosphorus smoke, illuminating, infrared illuminating, practice and practice-inert, all ballistically matched | High Explosive (live and inert ballistic-match), High Explosive Extended Range, IM High Explosive Extended Range and Target Practice Extended Range; no smoke or illuminating round published in this series | M795 high explosive and the MR103 training round on this line; separate extended-range and precision projectiles listed, no smoke or illuminating round on the published artillery page |
| Extended-range approach415 | Extended-range full-bore high explosive in both boat-tail and base-bleed forms | Boat-tail and base-bleed interchangeable on all projectiles except VLAP, plus a velocity-enhanced (rocket-assisted) VLAP round | Interchangeable base bleed and hollow base on the HE-ER and IM HE-ER rounds | M795 is a conventional boat-tail HE, not base bleed; base-bleed and booster reach sit on separate rounds (M1128-I, SuperShot) |
| Published maximum range, HE415Range depends heavily on the gun. RDM and Nammo quote 39 and 52 calibre; GD quotes the M795 without stating the gun calibre. | Not published | 52-cal: 30 km boat tail, 40 km base bleed, 54 km VLAP; 39-cal: 24.7 km boat tail, 30.8 km base bleed, 41 km VLAP (at 21 degrees C, JBMoU charge) | HE-ER / IM HE-ER: 41 km base bleed and 32 km hollow base on an L52 gun; 30 km base bleed and 24 km hollow base on an L39 gun | 22.5 km, up from 17.5 km for legacy M107 HE, a 29 percent gain on a conventional (non base-bleed) round |
| Muzzle velocity, HE415 | Not published | 52-cal: 937 m/s boat tail, 953 m/s base bleed; 39-cal: 811 m/s boat tail, 829 m/s base bleed | 935 m/s with a six-module DM72 charge in an L52 | Not published in the brochure |
| Projectile mass and explosive fill, HE415 | Not published | Nominal mass without fuze 42.7 kg boat tail / 42.4 kg base bleed; M2000 HE 8.3 kg TNT/HNS, M0121 IM HE 8.8 kg PBX | 44.2 kg with fuze; about 9 kg TNT/Comp B on the HE-ER, more than 10 kg MCX-6100 IM explosive on the IM HE-ER | 103 lb (about 46.7 kg) HF1 steel body, 23.8 lb (about 10.8 kg) TNT or IMX-101 |
| Insensitive-munitions compliance415 | Not published | Dedicated insensitive-munition rounds in the family: M0121 IM HE and M0603 IM HE PFF, both PBX filled | IM HE-ER carries more than 10 kg of MCX-6100 IM explosive; the round is designated an Insensitive Munition | IMX-101 fill offered as the IM variant to reduce vulnerability from unplanned detonation; the IM version carries its own NSN |
| Gun-calibre compatibility415 | Not published | Stated compatible with 39 to 52 calibre weapon systems | Performance quoted for L39 and L52 gun systems | Stated compatible with all current and future towed and self-propelled 155mm howitzers; range figure not tied to a calibre |
| JBMoU / NATO qualification426 | Not published | Designed according to JBMoU principles and qualified in accordance with STANAG methodology | Range verified from a modern L52 JBMoU gun system; rounds stated as Qualified, fuzes per STANAG 2916 | Fielded US Army round; MR103 training round uses a STANAG 2916 fuze cavity |
| Smoke natures4 | Smoke for screening a move, marking a target and obscuring an approach | M2002 screening smoke, 5.5 kg pyrotechnic in five canisters, 180 s burn, visible and IR obscuration; M2004 red-phosphorus smoke, 3.8 kg, 70 s | Not published in the 155 series | Not published on the artillery page |
| Illuminating natures4 | Illuminating for night observation and adjustment | M2003 illuminating, 2.5 kg pyrotechnic, 90 s, luminosity about 1 million candela; M0236 infrared illuminating, 2.8 kg, 180 s, 200 W/steradian | Not published in the 155 series | Not published on the artillery page |
| Practice / training natures436 | Practice and training rounds so a battery can drill and zero without drawing down war stock | M2000 Practice (inert fill with a small RDX/wax booster) and M2000 Practice Inert, ballistically matched to HE | Target Practice Extended Range round, plus an inert ballistic-match version of the HE | MR103 cost-effective training round, no main charge, ballistically matched to M107, with smoke-and-bang signature for observers |
| Supply and political conditions436Origin is read from each vendor's own document. The consequence for a buyer is a licensing and release question, not a ballistic one. | Sourced outside the major-power blocs, so the relationship rests on end-use terms rather than a distant capital's release schedule; every transfer governed by classification and end-use controls | South African production within the German Rheinmetall group; export subject to South African and German licensing | Norwegian producer; export subject to Norwegian licensing and its alliance obligations | US-fielded round; export subject to US licensing and end-use conditions |
Competitor values are quoted from the vendor documents listed under Sources, as published on the date shown. Configurations vary, so treat every row as a starting point for the evaluation rather than a like-for-like test result.
What the table means
On published ballistics, the incumbents are strong and specific
Rheinmetall Denel Munition publishes a full range table: 40 km base bleed and 54 km velocity-enhanced from a 52-calibre gun, dropping to 30.8 km and 41 km from a 39-calibre gun. Nammo publishes 41 km base bleed on an L52 with an insensitive-munition fill of more than 10 kg. General Dynamics publishes 22.5 km for the conventional M795, a 29 percent gain over legacy M107. Our catalogue describes the natures and the producer but does not publish range, velocity or fill weights. Pretending otherwise would be useless to a fire planner, so ask for those figures in the capability brief and hold us to the answer against these three tables.
Nature-set breadth is where the comparison actually turns
A gun line does not fire only high explosive. It screens with smoke, fights at night on illuminating, and drills on practice rounds so it does not burn war stock zeroing. Rheinmetall Denel Munition's Assegai family is the only cited competitor covering the full set we describe: HE in two extended-range forms, two smoke types, visible and infrared illuminating, and matched practice. Nammo and General Dynamics list HE and training natures but no smoke or illuminating round. A buyer seeking one supplier for every nature has a short list.
Range is a gun question before it is a shell question
Every serious extended-range figure in this comparison is quoted against a stated calibre. Assegai and Nammo both separate 39-calibre from 52-calibre performance because the same projectile loses roughly a quarter of its reach on the shorter tube. General Dynamics quotes the M795 without a calibre at all. A buyer comparing headline kilometres across brochures without fixing the gun is comparing nothing. The right question is what each nature does from the specific howitzer you field, which is exactly the figure we owe you in the brief.
The supply relationship travels with the ammunition
Artillery ammunition is the most consumable item on the battlefield, and it is the item a supplier's foreign policy can freeze fastest. A US-fielded round carries US release conditions. A Norwegian or South African-German round carries its own alliance and licensing exposure. Our line is offered by a high-volume maker outside the major-power blocs, so the supply relationship rests on the end-use terms in the contract rather than on a capital's willingness to keep shipping through a diplomatic row. That is not a ballistic advantage; it is a continuity-of-supply advantage, and for a natures stockpile it is often the decisive one.
Questions buyers ask
Who makes a full 155mm nature set, HE, smoke, illuminating and practice, from a single supplier?
Rheinmetall Denel Munition's Assegai family and our 155mm line both cover the complete set: extended-range boat-tail and base-bleed HE, two smoke types, visible and infrared illuminating, and ballistically matched practice. Nammo and General Dynamics list HE and training rounds but not smoke or illuminating. For single-source supply of every nature the gun consumes, compare the Assegai and our line.
What is the best alternative to Nammo's 155mm IM HE-ER for a buyer who cannot accept alliance supply conditions?
Nammo's IM HE-ER is an excellent round, with a verified 41 km base-bleed range from an L52 gun and an insensitive-munition fill of more than 10 kg of MCX-6100. If the obstacle is the release regime rather than the engineering, our extended-range full-bore HE covers the same role in both boat-tail and base-bleed forms from a high-volume maker outside the major-power blocs. We do not publish range or fill weights on the site, so ask for them alongside the licensing terms and compare both together against Nammo's published table.
How far can a 155mm shell reach, and does it depend on the gun?
Yes, heavily. Rheinmetall Denel Munition publishes 40 km base bleed and 54 km velocity-enhanced from a 52-calibre gun, falling to 30.8 km and 41 km from a 39-calibre gun for the same projectiles. Nammo publishes 41 km base bleed on an L52 dropping to 30 km on an L39. General Dynamics' conventional M795 reaches 22.5 km. So the honest answer is a range band tied to your howitzer's calibre and charge, not a single number. We owe you the figure for our natures fired from your specific gun, and that is a brief question rather than a brochure claim.
Which 155mm rounds are insensitive-munition compliant?
All three named makers offer IM options. Rheinmetall Denel Munition fields dedicated PBX-filled IM rounds, the M0121 IM HE and the M0603 IM HE preformed-fragmentation. Nammo's IM HE-ER carries more than 10 kg of MCX-6100 IM explosive. General Dynamics offers the M795 with an IMX-101 fill and a separate NSN for the IM variant. Our catalogue does not state an IM classification for our HE, so if insensitive-munition compliance is a hard requirement, ask us to confirm it in writing before you compare on range.
Is base bleed or boat tail the better extended-range choice?
They are complementary, which is why the best families make them interchangeable. Boat tail cleans up the base drag; base bleed adds a small gas generator that fills the low-pressure wake and adds meaningful range. Rheinmetall Denel Munition and Nammo both let you swap between them on the same projectile, and our line is supplied in both forms for exactly that reason. Base bleed buys the reach when you need it; boat tail keeps the round simpler and often tighter in dispersion at shorter ranges. The right mix is a fire-plan decision, not a single answer.
Why choose a non-aligned 155mm supplier over General Dynamics or a NATO maker?
Not on ballistics. General Dynamics, Nammo and Rheinmetall Denel Munition all publish credible figures and are proven. The reason to look outside the major-power blocs is continuity: 155mm ammunition is the item a supplier's politics can cut off fastest, and every aligned maker carries its home government's release conditions. Our line comes from a high-volume producer whose supply rests on the end-use terms in your contract. If your other relationships could ever put an aligned supplier's shipments in question, that continuity is worth pricing into the decision alongside range and fill.
Sources
- 1. Nammo, 155 mm IM High Explosive Extended Range (product specifications)Retrieved: 2026-08-14 · Projectile weight, muzzle velocity, base-bleed and hollow-base range with L52 and L39 guns, insensitive-munition explosive fill and qualification status.
- 2. Nammo, 155 mm High Explosive Extended Range (product specifications)Retrieved: 2026-08-14 · JBMoU L52 gun range, TNT/Comp B fill and dispersion figures.
- 3. Nammo, 155 mm-series (product family overview)Retrieved: 2026-08-14 · Series contents: High Explosive (live and inert ballistic-match), High Explosive Extended Range, IM High Explosive Extended Range and Target Practice Extended Range; STANAG 2916 fuze compatibility.
- 4. Rheinmetall Denel Munition, Assegai Projectile Family (product brochure, 2021)Retrieved: 2026-08-14 · Full family list, JBMoU design baseline, boat-tail and base-bleed interchangeability, 39 to 52 calibre compatibility, 52-cal and 39-cal range table, physical characteristics and carrier-projectile (smoke, illuminating) data. Read from a public mirror of the vendor's own brochure, so cited by URL only rather than kept as a local PDF.
- 5. General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, 155mm M795 HE Artillery Projectile (product brochure, V05, July 2025) (copy held on this site)Retrieved: 2026-08-14 · M795 mass, TNT or IMX-101 fill, insensitive-munition (IM) variant NSN, length and 22.5 km maximum range.
- 6. General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, Artillery (product overview page)Retrieved: 2026-08-14 · Artillery line-up: M795 HE, MR103 training round (ballistically matched to M107, STANAG 2916 fuze cavity), plus separate extended-range and precision projectiles (M1128-I base bleed, SuperShot, ERA-HE, SMArt 155).