Europe lacks gunpowder and TNT to produce shells – Bloomberg
21 March 2025 21:34
Russia’s war against Ukraine has reduced arms stockpiles in Europe, forcing countries to increase production of artillery shells, missiles and ammunition. But production is hampered by a shortage of gunpowder and TNT.
This was reported by Bloomberg, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The publication draws attention to the fact that European governments have significantly used their stockpiles to help Ukraine and are now trying to restore and increase production capacity. This has led to a shortage of critical components, including gunpowder, TNT, and rocket fuel.
So while Europe is preparing for a significant increase in defense spending, a small number of producers of these materials are trying to increase their capacity.
For example, the German defense giant Rheinmetall aims to increase its gunpowder production by more than 50% by 2028, but even this will not be enough. CEO Armin Papperger emphasized that the company may have to almost double its production to more than 20 thousand tons to meet the demand.
Nitrochemie Aschau, a subsidiary of Rheinmetall, has increased its production capacity by 60% since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and is building new facilities to add more than 40% by mid-2025.
Even before the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, members of the European Union set a goal to produce 2 million artillery shells in 2025, up from 1.4 million last year. In the spring of 2023, the European Commission established the Ammunition Support Act (ASAP) program, which allocates 500 million euros to expand the bloc’s ammunition production capacity.
As the Trump administration temporarily suspended military aid to Ukraine, it sowed doubts about the future of longstanding American security guarantees in Europe and showed a willingness to negotiate with the Kremlin, despite the objections of the Ukrainian government and European allies. Bloomberg suggests that the continent’s need for munitions will only grow.
Missiles require two volatile components: gunpowder, which is used to fire the shells, and explosives, which detonate them. Europe does not produce enough of either to meet its demand.
The publication points out that the supply chain that explosives manufacturers rely on is quite intricate and complex. Governments and manufacturers should encourage the civilian chemical industry to switch to military production, simplify regulations to allow new plants to be built and dangerous goods to move across the continent – and even secure the supply of the simplest materials currently shipped from China
