Each company will receive €350,000 to fund feasibility studies
Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded funding contracts to 22 companies to explore the creation of new factories producing energetic materials for munitions, as part of a wider effort to rebuild Britain’s domestic defence manufacturing capability.
The companies, which include small and medium-sized enterprises, will each receive up to £300,000 (€350,000) to carry out feasibility studies on potential sites for new production facilities. The studies will focus on the manufacture of explosives, propellants and pyrotechnics used in a wide range of weapons systems, including artillery shells, missiles, bombs and small arms ammunition.
The initiative forms part of the government’s plans to establish an “always on” sovereign supply chain for munitions amid growing concerns over global security and lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, which has highlighted the importance of rapidly replenishing ammunition stockpiles.
The announcement comes as European governments race to expand munitions production capacity. Analysts have warned that shortages of nitrocellulose – a cotton-based compound that forms the chemical backbone of modern artillery propellants – could become a major bottleneck for Europe’s defence ambitions and efforts to sustain military support for Ukraine.
