Poland readies $740 million fund to jump-start ammunition production

WARSAW, Poland — Polish lawmakers have voted to allocate some 3 billion złoty ($740 million) for investments in ramping up the country’s ammunition production capacities, with a particular focus on much-needed 155mm artillery shells.

The decision to approve the bill was made by the Sejm, the lower chamber of the Polish parliament, on Nov. 27 by a majority of 424 votes, with no lawmakers voting against the measure. Following this, the legislation needs to be approved by the senate, the upper chamber, and signed by the president to enter into force.

The allocated funds “will be used to capitalize companies responsible for producing ammunition, in particular artillery ammunition of caliber 155mm,” Polish Deputy State Assets Minister Marcin Kulasek said in a social media post.

The funds will be made available for investments by companies that seek the state’s backing for their projects to ramp up ammunition manufacturing capabilities. The program will be financed by the Ministry of National Defence and government securities.

The latest development comes as Warsaw is exploring various means of drastically increasing industry capacity for making artillery shells. As the predominantly state-owned sector relies on imported components to manufacture 155mm ammunition, officials are looking at ways to secure the necessary manufacturing technology from foreign partners.

Polish Deputy Prime Minister and National Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz recently stated that Poland aims to cooperate with Slovakia to secure the necessary technology that will allow the country to boost production. Kosiniak-Kamysz declared willingness to bolster Warsaw’s partnership with Bratislava during the minister’s Nov. 22 meeting with his Slovak counterpart, Robert Kaliňák.

“I’m greatly impressed by Slovakia’s production capacities in the field of ammunition, in particular the 155mm one, but also other types,” Kosiniak-Kamysz told his counterpart. “We want to develop our defense industry together with you.”

The Polish military requires increasing 155mm ammunition deliveries for its growing fleet of K9 Thunder and Krab self-propelled howitzers, manufactured by South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace and Poland’s state-run defense group PGZ, respectively.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——波兰议员投票决定拨款约 30 亿兹罗提（7.4 亿美元）用于投资，以提高该国的弹药生产能力，尤其侧重于急需的 155 毫米炮弹。

11月27日，波兰议会下院（众议院）以424票赞成、无反对票通过了该法案。此后，该法案还需经上院（参议院）批准，并由总统签署生效。

波兰国家资产部副部长马尔钦·库拉塞克在社交媒体上发帖称，拨出的资金“将用于为生产弹药的公司提供资本，特别是生产155毫米口径炮弹的公司”。

这笔资金将用于支持那些寻求国家支持以提升弹药生产能力的公司进行投资。该计划将由国防部和政府债券提供资金。

最新进展出炉之际，华沙正在探索各种途径，以大幅提升炮弹制造的工业产能。由于该国主要由国有企业组成的炮弹制造部门依赖进口零部件生产155毫米炮弹，官员们正在寻求从外国合作伙伴处获得必要的制造技术。

波兰副总理兼国防部长瓦迪斯瓦夫·科西尼亚克-卡梅什近日表示，波兰计划与斯洛伐克合作，以获取提升波兰产能所需的技术。在11月22日与斯洛伐克国防部长罗伯特·卡利尼亚克会晤期间，科西尼亚克-卡梅什表达了加强华沙与布拉迪斯拉发伙伴关系的意愿。

科西尼亚克-卡米什对他的同行说：“我对斯洛伐克在弹药领域的生产能力印象深刻，特别是155毫米炮弹，以及其他类型的炮弹。我们希望与你们共同发展我们的国防工业。”

波兰军方需要增加 155 毫米弹药的供应，以装备其不断增长的 K9 雷霆和螃蟹自行榴弹炮部队。这些自行榴弹炮分别由韩国韩华航空航天公司和波兰国营国防集团 PGZ 制造。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。