Prime Minister Donald Tusk said PGZ’s Dezamet plant will gain cutting-edge ammunition manufacturing technology under a deal signed on Friday with BAE Systems, enabling faster and larger-scale production of 155mm rounds.
Tusk stressed that Poland remains a sovereign producer of ammunition, saying the technology arrangement is long-term, with a 40-year termination period, and could allow sales of surplus rounds to interested buyers.
He said Poland should reach an annual output of roughly 130,000 155mm shells within two years. Dezamet’s broader munitions capacity has been strengthened by PLN 1.3 billion (EUR 305 million) in funding used, among other things, to modernize production lines, he added.
The agreement is part of wider cooperation with the United Kingdom. Tusk said he had received another message from Prime Minister Keir Starmer about stepped-up British military support for Poland on an urgent basis, which he said would strengthen Poland’s defenses “in these critical days.”
Boosting 155mm ammunition production — the NATO standard round used by Krab and K9 howitzers — is a priority for Poland’s defense industry amid observations of heavy consumption of such munitions in the fighting in Ukraine.
The output increase is to be supported by three new factories financed by key PGZ producers, including Nitro-Chem, MESKO, Dezamet and Gamrat. A special law adopted late last year allows defense firms to draw a total of PLN 3 billion (EUR 705 million) from Defense Ministry funds for such investments.
Producing NATO-caliber artillery ammunition also requires access to specific technologies that Polish companies currently secure through experienced foreign partners — a need addressed by Friday’s agreement, officials said.
(jh)
Source: PAP