European arms manufacturers call on the EU to 'hurry up' with replenishment of 155mm arsenal

European manufacturers Nammo and KNDS are asking politicians to urgently provide more funding to increase the production of explosive materials needed to manufacture 155mm artillery shells.

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"The industry's answer is: hurry up. We need to get this done as soon as possible," said Morten Brandzag, CEO of Nammo, when asked about the need for more than €500 million in European Union funding under the ASAP programme, which was allocated in March.

Increasing the production of artillery to help Ukraine defend itself against a Russian invasion amounts to "industrial warfare" and the timing of the production ramp-up is a concern, the Nammo CEO told Defense News.

At the same time, the EU says that Europe's annual production capacity of 155mm shells reached one million in January, but the EU has only been able to deliver slightly more than half of the one million shells promised to Ukraine. The ASAP programme will help Europe reach a production capacity of 2 million shells per year by the end of 2025.

The requirements for a further increase in production have already been defined under ASAP, and there is no need for a new tender if, for example, the European Commission decides to invest an additional €200 million, according to Dominique Guillier, Vice President of KNDS

"We know what is needed. It's just a decision that needs to be made," he said.

Brandzag also explained that he "fully supports" demand coordination. For example, when one European country has a significant amount of explosives and another has a significant warhead filling capacity, they can join forces for a while. However, Nammo's CEO warned against industry consolidation.

Source: Defence News