Poland has signed a letter of intent with domestic companies to begin producing nitrocellulose and multi-base powders essential for ammunition manufacturing, according to a Polish government report published on Nov. 18.
This marks a significant step in rebuilding Poland’s ammunition production capabilities, which currently rely on imports from several European countries and Canada.
The government plans to invest 3 billion zlotys ($750 million) to enhance ammunition production, in response to observations from Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“No one who observes the war in Ukraine and other conflicts in the world today can have any doubts about how important it is to have access to a large amount of ammunition for modern weapons,” Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
State-owned companies, including Grupa Azoty and PGZ, agree on the need to establish a factory for the development of these materials.
PGZ board member Marcin Idzik highlighted the need to produce 155mm artillery rounds, to prepare for potential future conflicts involving NATO.
Poland has been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine since the start of all-out war in February 2022, providing billions of dollars in military, economic, and humanitarian aid and hosting millions of Ukrainian refugees.
The country has also been a vocal supporter of Ukraine on the world stage, campaigning for Ukraine to receive all the required weaponry to win the war that Russia had begun.