Poland plans to increase production of key ammunition fivefold in three years.
Poland plans to increase production of howitzer ammunition fivefold as it seeks to reduce its dependence on imported weapons and shield itself from the Russian threat in the east.
This was announced by the Minister of State Assets of Poland, Jakub Jaworowski, in an interview with the Financial Times.
Jaworowski said that state-owned defense company PGZ will receive 2.4 billion zlotys ($663 million) in state funds “in the coming days” to increase production of large-caliber ammunition and address one of Poland’s most acute defense deficits. The investment is aimed at increasing annual production of a group of 155-mm artillery shells used for NATO-standard howitzers and 120-mm shells for tanks.
Poland's Minister of State Assets noted that Russia's war in Ukraine showed that “155mm ammunition plays a key role on the modern battlefield and is needed in large quantities.”
PGZ currently produces around 30,000 large-calibre shells a year, and with the funding this figure is expected to increase more than fivefold to 150,000-180,000 a year within three years.
Jaworowski noted that Grupa Azoty, Poland's largest chemical group, has also invited state money to expand its ammunition sector by producing key materials such as gunpowder and nitrocellulose for explosives.
Let us recall that against the backdrop of the protracted war in Ukraine and the intensification of Russian aggression, European states are accelerating preparations for their own defense. NATO is already preparing for large-scale defense: on the eastern border from Finland to Poland, stretching for about 3,440 kilometers, it is planned to create a “blast wall” of minefields.
