Poland ups ammunition production to one million a day at state-owned arms factory

Polish state-owned defence firm Mesko has increased its production of small-calibre ammunition fivefold, from 50 million to 250 million pieces a year, thanks to the establishment of a new production hall.

That means output has now reached around one million bullets per working day, noted Prime Minister Donald Tusk during a visit to the plant in the city of Skarżysko-Kamienna to mark the opening of its new facilities.

“Poland is drawing conclusions from the war in Ukraine,” said Tusk. “We will emerge from the ammunition collapse in which the whole of Europe finds itself.”

Earlier this year, the head of President Andrzej Duda’s National Security Bureau warned that Poland only has enough ammunition to defend itself “for a week or two” if it were attacked by Russia.

In response to such concerns, the government has announced billions of zloty in investment in boosting ammunition stocks, and in particular in bolstering domestic production.

“Such investments are part of a broader strategy to repolonise the defence industry and become independent from foreign supplies,” said Tusk’s office on Friday. “Repolonisation” is a term used to refer to restoring production or ownership into Polish hands.

“We want such plants to not only ensure the self-sufficiency of the Polish army, but also export to foreign markets,” added Tusk at Friday’s ceremony.

Mesko has already had success exporting its Piorun man-portable air-defence systems, which have proven themselves in Ukraine’s defence against Russian aggression. Last month, Belgium became the latest foreign country to purchase the system. Previous customers include the United States and Norway.

The prime minister claimed that, since his government came to power in late 2023, “real defence spending has increased by as much as 60%”. This year, the government plans to spend 4.7% of GDP on defence, up from around 4% in 2023 and by far the highest relative level in NATO.

Tusk noted that, in the past, “we spent billions of zlotys – and we still do – on things produced outside Poland”. Now the government is “doing everything to change these unfavourable proportions” in favour of domestic production.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Poland has significantly increased its defense spending, including making large-scale purchases from the United States and South Korea of tanks, self-propelled howitzers and aircraft, among others.

That spending began under the former Law and Justice (PiS) government but has continued to expand under the Tusk administration, including further procurement deals with American suppliers.

Main image credit: Mesko (press materials)