Belgium has opened a new production line in Wallonia to manufacture 155-millimeter artillery shells as part of efforts to strengthen its defense industry and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.
The facility, inaugurated by Defence Minister Théo Francken at KNDS Belgium’s Petit-Roeulx-Lez-Nivelles site, will be called the Large-Calibre Machining and Banding Unit and will employ automated capabilities to boost efficiency.
The new factory unit counts as the company’s third production line in the country and is designed to increase the output of NATO-standard munitions, which have been in high demand since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Company director Jean-Michel Girard noted that nearly half of the production next year will be dedicated to supplying the Belgian Armed Forces.
KNDS Belgium currently employs around 350 specialists and has supplied Brussels’ land forces for almost nine decades. The firm operates under the broader Franco-German KNDS Group, which produces armored vehicles and ammunition across Europe.
Speaking at the ceremony, Francken highlighted that the project will boost both military readiness and the local economy.
“By manufacturing our ammunition ourselves we keep the economic value added here and gain strategic strength,” he said. “In 2026, with our CAESAR howitzers ready for use, we will be firing Belgian munitions.”
