EU facing shortage of gunpowder, TNT for shells
Europe’s arms reserves have been heavily tapped to support Ukraine, pushing countries to scale up production of artillery shells, rockets, and cartridges, according to a Bloomberg report published on March 21.
However, a critical lack of gunpowder, trinitrotoluene (TNT), and rocket fuel is stalling these efforts.
European governments, having depleted their arsenals for Ukraine, are now racing to rebuild and expand manufacturing capacity. With plans to sharply increase defense spending, ammunition makers are scrambling to keep up.
German firm Rheinmetall aims to lift gunpowder output by 50% by 2028, but CEO Armin Papperger said meeting demand may require nearly doubling production to over 20,000 tons.
Its subsidiary, Nitrochemie Aschau, has already boosted capacity by 60% and is building new facilities to add 40% more by mid-2025, hiring 300 additional workers to run round-the-clock operations.
Before Donald Trump’s inauguration, EU nations set a goal to produce 2 million artillery shells in 2025, up from 1.4 million in 2023.
To support this, the European Commission launched the ASAP program in spring 2023, allocating 500 million euros ($545.5 million) to expand ammunition production.
Bloomberg noted that a temporary halt in U.S. military aid to Ukraine has raised doubts about American security guarantees in Europe and signaled openness to Kremlin talks, heightening Europe’s need for munitions.
On March 20, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the European Council to bolster support, requesting at least 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion) for artillery shells.
That same day, a Ukrainian defense firm and Norway’s Nammo signed a partnership statement to establish a joint venture for producing 155-mm ammunition.
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