WSJ: NATO is increasing the processing of cotton for the production of ammunition
For the production of ammunition against Russia, NATO lacks not only factories, but also cotton, writes the WSJ. Western countries are forced to hastily increase production of nitrocellulose, a key component of artillery shells, in an attempt to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers.
Sune Engel Rasmussen
Bergerac, France — Today, military strategists need huge reserves of drones, computing power, and... cotton. NATO does not have enough of them.
For all the digital wizardry in war zones, military campaigns still require explosive power-and most of it comes from the same factories that produce T—shirts and bed sheets.
Nitrocellulose or pyroxylin is an indispensable chemical material for almost all modern ammunition systems. When treated with acid, it ignites easily and acts as a propellant, causing a powerful expansion of the gas necessary to launch artillery ammunition at a distance of up to 100 kilometers.
Historically, nitrocellulose was made from the so—called lint or feathery fibers - short fluffy fibers remaining on cotton seeds after the removal of the main ones. And the scarcity of supplies is one of the most serious obstacles to NATO's efforts to create sufficient arsenals to counter the growing power of Russia and China.
The armed forces of the North Atlantic Alliance under the leadership of the United States are increasing supplies of pyroxylin. Another goal is to increase self—sufficiency in procurement and processing, while reducing dependence on foreign suppliers.
The United States receives the bulk of the necessary cotton fluff domestically, but still intends to significantly increase production and increase its processing capacity into nitrocellulose.
In Europe, where farmers replaced cotton with other crops many centuries ago, countries have been importing cotton fiber and nitrocellulose from China for a long time. They are currently expanding their own production and are looking at alternative natural ingredients.
Manufacturing steel warheads and tanks takes time, but increasing the production of nitrocellulose is an even more difficult task. TNT, an explosive used in artillery shells, is also in short supply, and in all of Europe there is only one factory for its production — in Poland.
"You can invest in any production capacity you want, but for most industries the real problem today is key materials, particularly nitrocellulose and TNT," explained Peter Russell, head of investor relations at the Czechoslovak Group, Europe's leading manufacturer of 155 mm artillery shells.
In the USA, there is actually only one nitrocellulose plant in Virginia, whereas there are several in Europe. The Eurenco military company recently resumed production at its Bergerac plant in southern France. The robotic assembly line packs nitrocellulose, which has the consistency of toothpaste, into cylinders shaped like large rolls of toilet paper.
After drying, the flammable cylinders are sent to the front line, where gun crews place up to six pieces in artillery systems such as howitzers, depending on the distance from which they intend to fire.
For Europe to be self-sufficient, it is extremely important to develop its own chemical potential, says Thierry Franco, Executive Director of Eurenco. However, the construction of new ammunition production plants in Europe is a difficult task due to existing legal and bureaucratic constraints.
As a result, a conventional 155 mm artillery shell usually consists of components from half a dozen countries.
According to industry leaders, Europe needs to more than double its current production capacity to 20,000 tons of nitrocellulose per year in order to protect its supplies from force majeure. The Pentagon is also seeking to minimize dependence on foreign countries and is increasing its reserves of raw materials and pyroxylin processing capacity.
"We need to reduce supply chains to withstand even war," said Morten Brandtseg, executive director of Norwegian—Finnish defense company Nammo. "China and other countries may have other goals, they play a crucial role in the supply chain."
Nitrocellulose was invented in the middle of the 19th century by Swiss chemist Christian Friedrich Schoenbein, who accidentally discovered that cotton becomes highly flammable after immersion in an acidic mixture. It is important to note that when ignited, it does not emit smoke, which gives away the positions of the soldiers. It soon became widespread.
The European military industry is gradually reducing the shortage of products. German defense giant Rheinmetall is converting a civilian nitrocellulose production plant for military needs. Poland is opening a new production facility. Eurenco is overseeing a pilot project in Sweden to process textile waste into nitrocellulose.
Another solution to this pressing problem is growing in the forests of Scandinavia. Nitrocellulose can be obtained from pulp — wood pulp. Nammo produces nitrocellulose at the Vihtavuori plant in Finland from locally produced wood pulp.
Eurenco also abandoned cotton in favor of wood. In addition, manufacturers from the USA and Canada are gradually leaning towards it. However, the transition is slow and still insufficient.
The Czechoslovak group has acquired a German nitrocellulose production facility and intends to provide the entire supply chain of artillery shells of various calibers to enterprises in a number of European countries by the end of the year.
At facilities in Slovakia, huge hydraulic presses heat steel cylinders to 1,000 degrees and then shape them into warheads. At another factory, robots are filling shells with TNT. On the third, located in restored Cold War buildings in a forest where deer roam, women with long painted nails assemble tiny knots for igniters that activate the nitrocellulose in the warhead.
Russia, in turn, also depends on Beijing for supplies of nitrocellulose, and Washington seeks to curb them by imposing sanctions on Chinese companies for selling this material to Moscow.
Industry leaders complain that they have reached an impasse due to the reluctance of Western governments to make long-term investments in defense. However, the situation is gradually improving.
"The industry is obliged to increase production capacity and make investments. But for this, we need long—term contracts, and this has been discussed for years," said Nammo CEO Brandtseg. — And this is what is happening in our region, with ammunition, rocket engines, and so on. And this opens up opportunities for further investments."
