Leopard 2 tanks (illustration)
©7th Army Training Command/Wikimedia Commons
The European Union is delaying the production and supply of ammunition for Kyiv due to a serious shortage of explosives. On Sunday, March 19, the newspaper reports Financial Times.
It is noted that the EU is not able to quickly fulfill orders for the Armed Forces of Ukraine against the backdrop of meager supplies of gunpowder, TNT and plastic explosives. According to the publication, the conflict in Ukraine showed insufficient stocks of weapons in Europe, and also demonstrated weak domestic production capacity. Their depletion has been linked to decades of underinvestment.
European officials are sure that the main problem lies in the poor level of the defense industry of the EU countries for large-scale military production. At the same time, arms manufacturers have warned that the increase in demand for ammunition can only cause an increase in prices, which have already increased by 20% in 2022, but not an increase in output.
The FT specifies that most of the factories that make ammunition are already operating at full capacity. It will take at least three years to increase volumes.
