The French defense giant Nexter will increase the production of artillery ammunition eightfold thanks to European investments.

The company’s press service announced this on its official website.

As part of the ASAP (Ammunition Support Act) plan, the European Commission provided €41 million in subsidies to Nexter, Nammo and VAK.

This assistance is aimed at increasing the production capacity of artillery ammunition to meet Ukraine’s needs.

Mobilization of the industry

With the subsidies, Nexter will significantly increase its metal powder production capacity in cooperation with Norwegian and Lithuanian companies Nammo and Valsts Aizsardzibas Korporacija.

This is important for increasing the production of artillery ammunition, as gunpowder remains a scarce resource and an element of strategic dependence in production.

According to Nexter’s plans, the new investments will help the company to increase its capacity and the production of 155-mm ammunition from the current 50,000 to 400,000 “finished rounds” per year in three years.

Last October, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu stated that an increase in Nexter’s ammunition production to 60,000 rounds per year would triple the rate of ammunition delivery to Ukraine from 1,000 to 3,000 rounds per month.

Increase in artillery production

Nexter also emphasized that, in addition to ammunition, their company has also tripled the production of 155-mm Caesar self-propelled howitzers.

Thanks to the company’s transition to a “military economy,” the production cycle for a self-propelled howitzer was halved from 30 to 15 months.

At the same time, the annual capacity, which historically amounted to two units per month, increased to four ACS per month during 2022, and now reaches six units per month with the prospect of growth to eight units.

At the beginning of March, it became known that France was planning to have some of its arms manufacturers producing military equipment on Ukrainian soil.