War in Ukraine: immersion in the only French factory manufacturing 155 mm shells

The European Union approved, Monday, March 20, the release of an envelope of two billion euros to supply ammunition to Ukraine.

A team from France Televisions was exceptionally able to film their manufacture in a cannonery, near Bourges.

In Ukraine, 5,000 155mm shells are fired every day. Artillery ammunition is lacking. The Ukrainians demand a million shells from their allies. How to provide so much ammunition? Nexter, the only French factory manufacturing 155 mm shells, opened its doors to France Televisions, on its site in La-Chapelle-Saint-Ursin (Cher). It manufactures on this site its ammunition at 4,000 euros each. Some stages are classified as “secret defense”. On average, 630 shells are manufactured each week, indicates the director of the factory, who explains that he has entered “a war economy”.

Manufacturing monitored to the millimeter

The slightest error during manufacture can prove fatal on the front. Today, a 55mm shell can be delivered in six months. The factory wants to go down to three months. To produce more and faster, it must recruit and train technicians. Applicants must be psychologically strong. “We manufacture ammunition, it has a purpose, we all know it. We have people who are not ready to work for this kind of field”, explains the chemical product line manager.

Beyond the issues of productivity, the French authorities want to repatriate all the components of a shell to the territory, in particular the powder that allows them to be fired. For 15 years, France has been getting supplies from Sweden. From 2024, the powder will be produced in the Dordogne. The factory is organizing to increase production rates, without knowing how long the war in Ukraine will last. “It’s an economic risk, we are going to manufacture products that we will have in stock. (…) For me, it’s not a story of money, it’s a choice of national strategy”, comments the director .