Europe’s push to rebuild its munitions base has taken a concrete step forward with a green light for domestic TNT production in Sweden. Start-up Sweden Ballistics, better known as SWEBAL, has secured approval from the country’s Land and Environmental Court to begin constructing a plant dedicated to manufacturing trinitrotoluene for military use.
The new facility, located in Nora, is being framed as a key piece of Europe’s effort to reduce reliance on external suppliers for critical explosive materials. With demand for artillery shells surging and stockpiles under strain, refilling depots has become as much about chemistry and industrial capacity as about defence budgets.
A bid to close a critical gap
Europe has rapidly increased production of artillery ammunition to support Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s invasion and to rebuild depleted national reserves in case the conflict widens. But a shortage of TNT and related materials has repeatedly been flagged as a bottleneck, limiting how fast factories can turn out finished rounds.
SWEBAL’s plan is to reach annual output of around 4,500 metric tons of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene by 2028. That volume is aimed at feeding production of 155 mm artillery shells, aerial bombs and anti-tank rockets, all of which rely on stable, high-quality explosives at scale.
CEO Joakim Sjoblom cast the permit as more than just a construction milestone. In his words, it represents “a fundamental shift in Europe’s ability to secure its own defence supply chain,” signalling an intent to bring not just final assembly but core energetic materials back inside both Europe and NATO territory.
From imports to a more resilient supply chain
At present, Europe leans heavily on Poland’s Nitro-Chem – which also supplies the United States – as well as TNT imports from Asian producers. That dependence has raised concerns about potential choke points if demand spikes further, export rules shift or shipping lanes are disrupted.
The European Commission has set an ambitious target of producing 2 million rounds of 155 mm artillery shells annually by the end of this year. Meeting and sustaining that level requires not only more shell bodies and filling lines, but also dependable flows of TNT and other energetic materials. SWEBAL’s Nora plant is one attempt to lock in that upstream capacity rather than assume it will always be available on the global market.
The Swedish project is part of a broader wave of investments. In September, Finland’s military agreed a deal with Forcit Group to build a TNT production facility in Pori, adding another node in a more distributed European network of explosive manufacturing.
Strategic implications beyond the factory gate
Rebuilding capacity for something as basic as TNT might seem like a step backwards in time, but it reflects the hard lessons of a high-intensity land war on the continent. Modern precision weapons still depend on large quantities of traditional explosives, and no amount of digital sophistication can substitute for the physical volume of munitions needed to sustain prolonged operations.
By bringing production closer to home, countries hope to reduce vulnerability to external shocks and signal long-term commitment to supporting Ukraine and strengthening their own deterrence. Facilities like SWEBAL’s Nora plant will not solve every bottleneck in Europe’s defence industrial base, but they mark a clear shift away from the assumption that globalised supply chains alone can guarantee security in an era of renewed geopolitical rivalry.
