Posted on 07/08/2025 9:29:23 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
The West is failing to catch up to Russia's production of the most basic unit of war for the past half-millennium — gunpowder.
The modern propellants and explosives that power war have largely been offshored. While Western manufacturers are churning out shell casings, they are short on the materials to fill them with. A dearth of ammunition from NATO allies has long hampered Ukraine, but is more recently alarming the Western alliance.
"Putin's war machine is speeding up, not slowing down," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said at a June 9 speech in London. "In terms of ammunition, Russia produces in three months what NATO produces in a whole year."
"Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years. Let's not kid ourselves: We are all on the Eastern flank now," Rutte continued.
It is no secret that Ukraine has relied on the West for ammunition since Russia's full-scale invasion. NATO's militaries have been sounding the alarm as to dwindling artillery reserves since at least late 2022. But they have been far slower in ramping up production than Russia.
Jammed between unequal arsenals, Ukraine has long felt the pinch.
With stocks running low, NATO's armories are finally confronting the harsh reality that they have outsourced core defense manufacturing functions to hostile nations.
In part, that disparity is because Russia has converted to a wartime economy and can act more decisively. But it is also because Russia never had the environmental controls that the U.S. and EU have. The production of the raw chemicals that power guns, bombs, rockets, and artillery is a filthy business, literally.
(Excerpt) Read more at kyivindependent.com ...
CHINA and North Korea are providing large amounts of materials!
I do remember looking online for .223 ammo. The Russian one was .21 cents a round. All the rest were 25 and above.
We don’t devote our entire economy to arms production, and forget about everything else. Russia is on a total war footing, and the civilian economy is going downhill rapidly. Shortages of common goods are widespread.
It may have been gun writer Patrick Sweeney who wrote, “If the Russians could make cartridges that worked, out of concrete, they would.”
It’s cute that some people still believe a war can be fought and won with rifles.
EC
“Why can’t the West match Russia’s ammunition production?”
Because most men in the West don’t know which end of a screwdriver to hold. Not their fault either - we decided to be a ‘service economy’ built on ‘finance’ and lawyers suing doctors. Manufacturing, and the skills and education that went with it, was TOSSED ASIDE, as it meant getting our hands dirty.
We need at least a DECADE to straighten out yet I haven’t seen any signs of people in the West figuring this out.
Was that in recent history?
I'd like to see those $.25 cartridges. Most I see are in the "and above" category ~$.50
A couple of movies showed Russian soldiers charging unarmed into the enemy expecting to use the weapons dropped bye the fallen. Perhaps they never want to be in that position again.
Did we learn from Pearl Harbor or 911?
The war in Ukraine highlighting the destruction of Americas infrastructure and industrial base, especially when it comes to chemical manufacturing
Virtually all of Americas specialty chemicals manufacturing has been driven offshore due to environmental regulations and Chinese companies competition
Good dose of reality. No western nation ( at this time) can match Russia’s manufacturing output.
Why? Good example ,Rheinmetal, Germany’s lead firm is experiencing shortages of many components….pre war, much was acquired from Russia….a 155mm artillery shell was produced for under $500, today, close to $4K.
Russia sits on $75 trillion of commodities and natural resources, they have everything they need, cheap.
Another example, facilities. Russia maintained all the facilities built since WW2, modernized over the decades. The western practice was to tear down all the old outdated factories and build new…..manufacturing starts with having a building to start production, the West lacks facilities to even start production.
The amount of Russian manufacturing facilities is mind boggling, all across Russia- from Moscow to east of the Urals.
“The amount of Russian manufacturing facilities is mind boggling, all across Russia- from Moscow to east of the Urals.”
Russia’s manufacturing sector recorded its sharpest downturn in more than three years in June, as weak domestic and international demand triggered renewed declines in new orders and output, S&P Global reported on June 30. (chart)
The headline S&P Global Russia Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 47.5 in June from 50.2 in May, signalling a solid deterioration in operating conditions. This was the third contraction in four months and the steepest since March 2022.
Dec. 1, 2024 EXCERPT:
Repkon, based in Istanbul, has in recent weeks taken significant steps worldwide to help address the shortage of artillery ammunition. Repkon gained considerable media attention in October when reports emerged about its plans to build a new production facility in Mesquite, Texas, USA, under an agreement with the US Department of Defense (DoD).
According to available information, the facility will be capable of producing approximately 30,000 155 mm shells per month, significantly boosting the production of this type of ammunition in the US. However, this is not the end of Repkon’s efforts in the field of artillery ammunition.
In early November, US arms authorities awarded Repkon – USA Defense LLC, which represents the Istanbul-based company in the US, a contract to build a new TNT production plant in Kentucky. According to US military officials, this project is critical for the further development of artillery ammunition production in the US, as well as for strengthening national security.
The value of this contract is $435 million, and DoD officials describe it as a significant step forward in TNT production over the past several decades.
IIRC, Repkon (Mesquite, TX) Line 1 was supposed to be producing 2,500 155mm artillery shell parts per month, by June 15th. Or at least, that was the story 1 year ago.
“Russia is on a total war footing, “
Which was funded by robbing their pension fund.
That has been depleted. Th gravy train is over,
Because slave labor in North Korea isn’t available to the US?
Our Civilian market seems to be
Flooded and prices are cheapest in 4 yrs
So Ammo Up all You Cowboys!
Never mind the pension fund - they’re robbing everything. The banks have been forced to use all their money to make loans to defense contractors that will never be paid back - so depositors are now prohibited from withdrawing their money.
Anyone who doesn’t like it may meet with an unfortunate accident....
Was the cheaper stuff steel cased? I wouldn’t feed my AR or my Mini steel cased ammunition unless there was no other option.
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