Regarding shell production in France, it is important to know the recent history :
A single production site is capable of manufacturing the “hollow bodies” of shells, medium and large caliber parts (80 mm to 155mm). These are the Forges de Tarbes, heirs of the old arsenals which had several hundred workers. In 2021 the company is on the verge of bankruptcy and has around thirty employees. It was taken over by the Europlasma group which wanted to manufacture plasma torches on the site. The French Ministry of Defense intervenes to maintain this vital production for national defense by placing an order for ten years in order to “not depend on any other country to design, produce and maintain its equipment, it is vital for our armed forces. This is vital for our freedom of action.” Les Forges de Tarbes indeed supplies the 120 mm ammunition for the Leclerc tank and the 155 mm ammunition for the NEXTER CAESAR system.
The war in Ukraine has become an opportunity for the company but it is necessary to modernize the production apparatus, 22,000 hollow bodies produced in 2022, 40,000 in 2023. It is also necessary to hire and train qualified personnel because it is a specialty, there were 53 employees in September 2023. This modernization also brings social problems, a former union representative dismissed for serious misconduct for having criticized "the absence "transparency" of management, the absence of modernization of the site and the questioning of the necessary investments and the choices of the group.
Since September 7, 2023 there have been several latent strikes, the last on January 31. Finally, the modernization of the site took place at the beginning of 2024 with a production shutdown of several weeks which only resumed on March 7. The Minister of Defense, Sébastien Lecornu raised the subject before the Defense Committee of the National Assembly, highlighting the increase in deliveries from 2000 to 3000 155 mm shells per month with the prospect of 4000 to 5000 shells per month. But this only concerns the manufacture of hollow bodies. The ball then passes to Nexter which assembles the shells and propellant charges on its sole site near Bourges. A year ago production was around 630 shells per week, or a little over 30,000 per year.
And there is the problem of shell powder. France is not the only one affected, demand has exploded throughout Europe. Currently the French industrialist Euranco, which produces explosives and powders for artillery ammunition, has decided to relocate its production to Bergerac in France because the powder is currently produced in Sweden, 60 million euros of investment is planned. This new factory will open in 2025 and should manufacture 1,200 tonnes of propellant powder allowing the manufacture of 500,000 modular charges per year, or 95,000 “full shots”. A “full shot” consists of a shell, manufactured in France by Nexter, and modular propellant charges produced by Euranco. Depending on the desired distance, 40 km for the Caesar, 6 charges per shell are required. Of these 95,000 shells, France will purchase 15,000 per year for its Army. So 80,000 will remain for Ukraine and other buyers...
We are still far from the “War Economy” advocated by Mr. Macron. It is still the law of the market.
N.B.: all this information is public and can be found in the French press.
#2 read thanks Don I found this to be very interesting and informative, I am also glad to read that the UAF has a few more artillary shells and to read what a difference it make for them. Lets hope the
the US aid package advances and we get more shell to Ukraine
Thank you Don and Tom. It looks like there is a lot of potent stuff in the pipeline if Ukraine can hold the fort while it's coming. Russia is in trouble defending its large land mass from air attack. I often wonder about the economic vector. For sure, they will face big money problems, and before equipment runs out I think. But the question is whether Pudding's regime can squash the unrest that goes with it.
Excellent article thank you so much. I suspect the Russians will have to look to China and North Korea for replacements for artillery and armoured vehicles. Because 2025 is going to be a very critical year for them.
It depends very much on U.S.A political elections. Some analyst think Putin wants to maximize gain until the elections and then make some agreement with Trump.
The potential exhaustion of the old Soviet stocks is one of the many reasons why the people who keep trying to lump China, russia, North Korea, and Iran together in a single bundle do harm to Ukraine.
China isn't a friendly panda by any means, but it isn't russia. It's essential to convince Beijing that it has a brighter future bringing the fragmented bits of russia into some kind of organized client system to protect the New Silk Road than going after Taiwan.
If 2026 rolls around and the idiots in D.C. have pushed Beijing into directly supporting Putin's war effort, the promise of exhausting Moscow's Cold War reserves evaporates and Ukraine's future is bleak. One has to wonder if American leaders actually *want* to lose the Third World War...
I am amazed by the temerity of Mr.Austin to declare that Ukraine should not focus on oil refineries but instead hit airports etc.
Well, dear minister, Ukraine did try it three days ago, and guess what - it didn't work. So, better to continue hurting Russia in oil infrastructure instead until USA decides to give the necessary ballistic missiles (read: ATACMS with 300 km range) to hit tactical targets, hard. And all the equipment that American politics is denying to Ukraine since last fall.
Well, Ukraine could conceivably offer a deal to USA: "Give us the armaments and munitions you promised NOW, and we'll stop hitting Russian oil refineries like you were doing in WWII against Nazi Germany".
The fear of USA shown is amazing to me. They are going to left Ukraine hanging high and dry despite their promises, because they want to avoid losing the coming elections.
I have news for you, Democrats: you will LOSE, because you behave like losers instead of being leaders of the democratic world. And USA will lose their hegemony in Europe thanks to their hesitation and lack of direction.
Macron: he talks big words, but are these supported by actions and funding? (eg, did France contribute to the Czech program for artillery munitions for Ukraine?) There's a definite lack of urgency in French defence industry in recent years, judging from the numbers of ammunition produced
Thank you for all the information.
Regarding shell production in France, it is important to know the recent history :
A single production site is capable of manufacturing the “hollow bodies” of shells, medium and large caliber parts (80 mm to 155mm). These are the Forges de Tarbes, heirs of the old arsenals which had several hundred workers. In 2021 the company is on the verge of bankruptcy and has around thirty employees. It was taken over by the Europlasma group which wanted to manufacture plasma torches on the site. The French Ministry of Defense intervenes to maintain this vital production for national defense by placing an order for ten years in order to “not depend on any other country to design, produce and maintain its equipment, it is vital for our armed forces. This is vital for our freedom of action.” Les Forges de Tarbes indeed supplies the 120 mm ammunition for the Leclerc tank and the 155 mm ammunition for the NEXTER CAESAR system.
The war in Ukraine has become an opportunity for the company but it is necessary to modernize the production apparatus, 22,000 hollow bodies produced in 2022, 40,000 in 2023. It is also necessary to hire and train qualified personnel because it is a specialty, there were 53 employees in September 2023. This modernization also brings social problems, a former union representative dismissed for serious misconduct for having criticized "the absence "transparency" of management, the absence of modernization of the site and the questioning of the necessary investments and the choices of the group.
Since September 7, 2023 there have been several latent strikes, the last on January 31. Finally, the modernization of the site took place at the beginning of 2024 with a production shutdown of several weeks which only resumed on March 7. The Minister of Defense, Sébastien Lecornu raised the subject before the Defense Committee of the National Assembly, highlighting the increase in deliveries from 2000 to 3000 155 mm shells per month with the prospect of 4000 to 5000 shells per month. But this only concerns the manufacture of hollow bodies. The ball then passes to Nexter which assembles the shells and propellant charges on its sole site near Bourges. A year ago production was around 630 shells per week, or a little over 30,000 per year.
And there is the problem of shell powder. France is not the only one affected, demand has exploded throughout Europe. Currently the French industrialist Euranco, which produces explosives and powders for artillery ammunition, has decided to relocate its production to Bergerac in France because the powder is currently produced in Sweden, 60 million euros of investment is planned. This new factory will open in 2025 and should manufacture 1,200 tonnes of propellant powder allowing the manufacture of 500,000 modular charges per year, or 95,000 “full shots”. A “full shot” consists of a shell, manufactured in France by Nexter, and modular propellant charges produced by Euranco. Depending on the desired distance, 40 km for the Caesar, 6 charges per shell are required. Of these 95,000 shells, France will purchase 15,000 per year for its Army. So 80,000 will remain for Ukraine and other buyers...
We are still far from the “War Economy” advocated by Mr. Macron. It is still the law of the market.
N.B.: all this information is public and can be found in the French press.
Gracias Don . .
#2 read thanks Don I found this to be very interesting and informative, I am also glad to read that the UAF has a few more artillary shells and to read what a difference it make for them. Lets hope the
the US aid package advances and we get more shell to Ukraine
The E-300 is almosts the size of a Cessna… hmmmm wasnt there some story about a Cessna and the Kremlin?
One of the very first drones Ukraine launched actually hit a roof of Kremlin. Refineries make more sense.
Thank you Don and Tom. It looks like there is a lot of potent stuff in the pipeline if Ukraine can hold the fort while it's coming. Russia is in trouble defending its large land mass from air attack. I often wonder about the economic vector. For sure, they will face big money problems, and before equipment runs out I think. But the question is whether Pudding's regime can squash the unrest that goes with it.
Excellent article thank you so much. I suspect the Russians will have to look to China and North Korea for replacements for artillery and armoured vehicles. Because 2025 is going to be a very critical year for them.
It depends very much on U.S.A political elections. Some analyst think Putin wants to maximize gain until the elections and then make some agreement with Trump.
Unfortunately this seems very plausible
The potential exhaustion of the old Soviet stocks is one of the many reasons why the people who keep trying to lump China, russia, North Korea, and Iran together in a single bundle do harm to Ukraine.
China isn't a friendly panda by any means, but it isn't russia. It's essential to convince Beijing that it has a brighter future bringing the fragmented bits of russia into some kind of organized client system to protect the New Silk Road than going after Taiwan.
If 2026 rolls around and the idiots in D.C. have pushed Beijing into directly supporting Putin's war effort, the promise of exhausting Moscow's Cold War reserves evaporates and Ukraine's future is bleak. One has to wonder if American leaders actually *want* to lose the Third World War...
I am amazed by the temerity of Mr.Austin to declare that Ukraine should not focus on oil refineries but instead hit airports etc.
Well, dear minister, Ukraine did try it three days ago, and guess what - it didn't work. So, better to continue hurting Russia in oil infrastructure instead until USA decides to give the necessary ballistic missiles (read: ATACMS with 300 km range) to hit tactical targets, hard. And all the equipment that American politics is denying to Ukraine since last fall.
Well, Ukraine could conceivably offer a deal to USA: "Give us the armaments and munitions you promised NOW, and we'll stop hitting Russian oil refineries like you were doing in WWII against Nazi Germany".
The fear of USA shown is amazing to me. They are going to left Ukraine hanging high and dry despite their promises, because they want to avoid losing the coming elections.
I have news for you, Democrats: you will LOSE, because you behave like losers instead of being leaders of the democratic world. And USA will lose their hegemony in Europe thanks to their hesitation and lack of direction.
Macron: he talks big words, but are these supported by actions and funding? (eg, did France contribute to the Czech program for artillery munitions for Ukraine?) There's a definite lack of urgency in French defence industry in recent years, judging from the numbers of ammunition produced