Poland picks BAE Systems for artillery ammunition ramp-up

WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s state-run defense group PGZ has chosen the U.K.’s BAE Systems as its technology partner for the planned boost in domestic ammunition production.

In a statement, PGZ said the final decision on the partner was preceded by a multi-stage selection process and talks with a number of bidders.

“The analysis considered several aspects, including the three main criteria: production sovereignty, technological solutions and price. The offer submitted by BAE Systems proved to be the most advantageous in the context of the selection criteria, national security, and the future development of PGZ’s ammunition domain potential,” according to PGZ.

BAE Systems said in a statement the envisioned munitions factory “will use BAE Systems’ manufacturing technology and feature the same automated technology that will deliver a sixteen-fold increase in production capacity of 155mm artillery shells at its facilities in the U.K.”

The past months have brought an intensification in the lobbying activities by a number of foreign companies seeking to team up with PGZ on artillery ammunition production.

In addition to BAE Systems, other manufacturers that have offered their products and technology to Poland include General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, KNDS, Czechoslovak Group and Turkey’s Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi.

The Polish Ministry of National Defence is seeking a radical increase in the domestic supply of 155mm rounds for the country’s military. This comes as the Army continues to secure new K9 Thunder howitzers from South Korea’s Hanwha Defense and Krab howitzers from PGZ.

In the long-term, the Polish military is to operate a fleet of around 1,000 self-propelled howitzers. At the same time, the nation’s artillery ammunition manufacturing output remains modest, and the selection of a foreign partner for PGZ is meant to enable the group to expand its production.

By 2028, Poland is to accommodate three new artillery ammunition factories, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said during his Aug. 11 visit to the plant of Mesko, a PGZ subsidiary that specializes in making ammunition and rockets. In a statement issued by the Polish ministry, Tusk said that, as of end 2023, Poland’s defense industry was capable of producing only 5,000 caliber 155mm rounds per year.

“More is used in one day on the Russian-Ukrainian front, much more. This year, we will reach the level of 30,000 [rounds], just two years later,” the prime minister said. “An ambitious and very realistic goal is that, in the next two years, we will reach the level of close to 200,000 [rounds] per year.”

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——波兰国营国防集团PGZ选择英国BAE系统公司作为其技术合作伙伴，以计划提高国内弹药产量。

PGZ在一份声明中表示，最终确定合作伙伴之前，公司进行了多阶段的遴选过程，并与多家竞标者进行了洽谈。

据PGZ称，“分析考虑了多个方面，包括三个主要标准：生产自主权、技术解决方案和价格。在选择标准、国家安全以及PGZ弹药领域未来发展潜力方面，BAE系统公司提交的方案被证明是最有利的。”

BAE系统公司在一份声明中表示，设想中的弹药工厂“将采用BAE系统公司的制造技术，并采用相同的自动化技术，这将使其在英国的工厂155毫米炮弹的产能提高16倍”。

近几个月来，一些外国公司加大了游说力度，希望与PGZ公司合作生产炮弹。

除了 BAE Systems 之外，其他向波兰提供产品和技术的制造商还包括通用动力军械和战术系统公司、KNDS 公司、捷克斯洛伐克集团和土耳其的 Makine ve Kimya Endüstrisi 公司。

波兰国防部正寻求大幅增加国内155毫米炮弹的供应量，以满足军队的需求。与此同时，波兰陆军正持续从韩国韩华防务公司采购新型K9“雷霆”榴弹炮，并从波兰国家武器公司（PGZ）采购“螃蟹”榴弹炮。

从长远来看，波兰军队计划装备约1000门自行榴弹炮。与此同时，波兰的炮弹生产能力仍然有限，PGZ选择外国合作伙伴旨在帮助该集团扩大生产规模。

波兰总理唐纳德·图斯克在8月11日视察梅斯科公司（Mesko）工厂时表示，到2028年，波兰将新建三家炮弹工厂。梅斯科公司是波兰国家石油公司（PGZ）的子公司，专门生产弹药和火箭弹。波兰国防部发表声明称，图斯克表示，截至2023年底，波兰国防工业每年仅能生产5000发155毫米口径炮弹。

“俄乌前线一天消耗的弹药量远超以往。今年，我们将达到3万发的水平，而这距离两年前的目标还差很多，”总理说道。“一个雄心勃勃且非常现实的目标是，在未来两年内，我们将达到每年近20万发的水平。”

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。