The newspaper said Western producers are boosting 155mm capacity across the continent. Germany’s Rheinmetall has launched an ammunition plant project in Lithuania after earlier moves in Latvia and Romania, and a new factory in Lower Saxony is starting production, it said.
From 2027, the Lower Saxony site is expected to turn out 350,000 shells annually, the paper wrote.
In Poland, a cornerstone was recently laid for a 155mm ammunition plant in Kraśnik run by state-owned Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ), while Ukrainian Armor is beginning licensed production in Ukraine with CSG, according to the report.
Rzeczpospolita said Europe’s 2027 output could reach 2 million shells, and when combined with capacity in Ukraine and the United States, the West may face a supply surplus within a few years—absent a major new conflict.
That shift should pressure prices lower but could leave governments with a dilemma over whether to subsidize unprofitable plants or allow closures, the paper added.
(jh)
Source: PAP