PGZ and BAE to build ammunition plant in Poland

Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa (PGZ) and BAE Systems have signed a strategic partnership to establish a new 155mm artillery ammunition manufacturing facility in Poland, aimed at significantly boosting the country’s battlefield munitions output. The factory will incorporate BAE Systems’ advanced automated manufacturing technology, which is already delivering a 16-fold increase in shell production at UK sites.

BAE Systems’ chief executive Charles Woodburn said: “This partnership builds on our existing long-term defence relationship with Poland. Transferring technology and learning will enable Poland to significantly expand its production capacity of critical 155mm munitions, helping to strengthen its industrial base and supply chain resilience in the face of an increasingly volatile security environment.”

The 155mm shells, NATO-compliant and compatible with Poland’s K9 and Krab self-propelled howitzers, have been a mainstay of British Army firepower for over five decades. The new facility will support Poland’s ambition to produce up to 180,000 large-calibre shells annually, reinforcing national defence and reducing reliance on overseas suppliers.

Production sovereignty
Adam Leszkiewicz, president of the management board of PGZ SA said: “When evaluating the individual offers, we placed particular emphasis on achieving production sovereignty and the development potential of PGZ’s ammunition domain. Considering that this is an open-ended contract, under which we are acquiring completely new competencies for many years, we analysed a very broad range of criteria. I am confident that we made the right choice, beneficial both for the future of our group and for our country’s international relations.”

The partnership aligns with the UK Government’s Strategic Defence Review, which calls for deeper industrial cooperation with Poland. Defence Secretary John Healey MP said: “This new partnership will strengthen Poland’s security while broadening our UK-Polish defence industrial partnership, showing how defence is an engine for growth across our two nations.”

Construction of the facility is set to begin this year, with completion expected by 2027/2028.