FT reported a crisis in the supply of ammunition for Ukraine

Fighting in Ukraine requires a high consumption of shells, however, European capacities were designed for the same demand, new investments are now required and a wait of several years, you can’t just flip a switch,writes FT

The consumption of ammunition by the Armed Forces of Ukraine has reached unprecedented levels, Ukraine uses 5-6 thousand artillery shells daily, which is comparable to the needs of a small European country for a year in peacetime; in this regard, European manufacturers are facing a crisis in the military supply chain. This is reported by the Financial Times with reference to the Norwegian arms company Nammo.

The company's chief executive, Morten Brandtzeg, explained that the bottlenecks in the supply chains after the covid-19 pandemic , as well as the shortage of critical raw materials for some explosives, led to this, which prevents the increase in production. Demand for some components has grown so much that delivery times have increased from a few months to several years.

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Customers at Britain's Chemring, which makes explosives, have been asking about the possibility of ramping up production of certain materials by 100-200%, CEO Mick Ord said. He noted that many of the difficulties in supply chains have already begun to ease, but a more serious problem is that output was designed for the previous level of demand, investments in new plants, which will take years to open, are needed to increase capacity. “These are not deliveries where you can just flip a switch,” Ord said.

One particular problem has been a shortage of nitric acid, which is used in small quantities to make explosives and is also needed by fertilizer manufacturers, said Yves Traissac, deputy HEAD of weapons company Eurenco.

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According to The New York Times, the Pentagon seeks to increase the production of shells by 500% in two years in connection with the supply of the Ukrainian army. The production of conventional ammunition has been brought to a level not seen since the Korean War. The US authorities plan to expand factories and attract new manufacturers, the action will be part of "the most aggressive effort to modernize the US defense industrial base in nearly 40 years," a source told the newspaper.

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Prior to the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine, the United States produced 14.4 thousand unguided munitions monthly, this volume was enough for the country's army. However, after the delivery of howitzers and shells to them to Ukraine, the release of shells was tripled in September 2022, and then doubled in January. As a result, suppliers were able to produce more than 90 thousand artillery shells per month.