Europe, along with Ukraine, is ramping up the production of 155-mm ammunition.

French defense plant Les Forges de Tarbes, which was on the brink of closure in 2021, is now running at full capacity, fulfilling orders for 155-mm artillery shells. The priority is to support Ukraine and reequip European militaries.

The plant is the only French manufacturer of 155-mm shell casings, or shell bodies, which are then sent to the KNDS company, where they are completed with explosives, transforming them into finished ammunition. Last year, the company produced 60,000 casings. Currently, they are producing 2,000 shell casings per week, and by the end of the year, production will reach 15,000 per month.

In response to the war in Ukraine and the urgent need to replenish the EU arsenals, the European defense industry has ramped up production.

Meanwhile, one of Europe’s largest ammunition manufacturers, Norwegian company Nammo, has signed a strategic cooperation agreement to its existing partnership with a Ukrainian company. This partnership aims to share technology to produce 155-mm artillery ammunition in Ukraine.