Czechia, Slovakia – Industry Expands Ammo, Weapons Production

On April 3, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský announced at the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Brussels that the Czech ammunition initiative had secured supplies of artillery ammunition to deliver to Ukraine at least until September, according to Militarnyi.

The Czech Ekonom news site reported on Monday that the Motor Jikov Group, an automotive and foundry company based in České Budějovice, was negotiating with the STV and Czechoslovak groups, two of Czechia’s largest arms companies, to produce artillery shell bodies.

Its owner, Miroslav Dvořák, said the group: “… has been looking for all possible ways to get into this booming business. However, penetrating the decades-old supply chains of arms manufacturers is not easy, and it will take some time.”

In its attempts to do so the company has produced and tested prototypes hoping to establish a projected annual production capacity of around 100,000 pieces.

Another Czech automotive company, Koh-i-noor Holdings, is turning to the arms industry to make up for a decline in orders. Robert Záboj, head of the company’s machinery tool division, told the e15 media site that he was in discussions with the Czech subsidiary of the US Colt weapons manufacturers to produce tens of thousands of polymer frames for the new “Česká zbrojovka pistol.”

The model for this sort of change in direction is that of the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, which has already announced the conversion of two factories, current producers of auto parts, to produce weapons equipment.

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The traditional arms industries in both Czechia and Slovakia are also stepping up their ammunition production.

At the beginning of October, the Slovak MSM Group, an ammunition manufacturer with facilities in Slovakia, Serbia, and Spain, opened a new 155mm artillery ammunition production line for Snina, eastern Slovakia. According to the Czech “Army and Defence” military issues website, it will be capable of producing around 350,000 units annually once fully operational.

Also, in October, MSM announced the two-year phased renovation of the former Chemko Strážske site, which will begin producing bimodular explosive charges for large-caliber ammunition by 2027.

The two opening ceremonies were attended by the Slovak Minister of Defense, Robert Kaliňák, who said: “I am very pleased that the Slovak defense industry is developing dynamically. A strong domestic industry contributes not only to our security but also to the security of Europe.”

The Czech defense company, CSG, announced at the end of 2024 that it had signed an agreement with the Ukrainian arms manufacturer Ukrainska Bronetechnika to produce large-caliber ammunition directly in Ukraine. The aim, CSG Commercial Director Richard Kuběna said, is to produce 100,000 rounds of ammunition this year and to expand production to 300,000 rounds by 2026.

Russia’s full-scale 2022 invasion has been the catalyst for European defense industries

to ramp up production of artillery ammunition – but this will take time to get fully up to the rates of production military consider necessary, not only to support Ukraine but to ensure Europe’s future security.

The entry of these representatives of the motor industry, largely driven by financial necessity, will bring with them the machining skills and technology needed to accurately produce essential ammunition to initially modest, but increasingly significant output in support of the coordinated European defense industry.