The European Commission is looking to help: Nearly half of the €500 million in EU subsidies under the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP) were allocated to projects aimed at increasing powder production.
Propellant powder is made out of nitrocellulose, among other things, which itself is made from cotton fibers that mostly come from China.
Saab is one of Europe’s main weapons manufacturers, producing ground combat weapons, submarines and missiles. Alongside France’s Dassault Aviation, the Swedish company is also the only European manufacturer able to make a fighter jet alone — the JAS 39 Gripen.
Johansson’s comments come as Brussels is also pushing an economic security agenda to reduce dependencies on Beijing — in a bid to “de-risk” the bloc’s supply chains.
When it comes to arms, the stakes of relying on Chinese raw material and components are especially high. According to U.S. intelligence services, China is likely providing nitrocellulose to Russia to help Moscow’s war effort.
It’s a risk Brussels is aware of. One EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the bloc’s gunpowder manufacturers must diversify sources of supply. They can do that “either by identifying new producers — but whose cotton they need to re-qualify for powder manufacture, which takes time — or by investing in new solutions such as wood cellulose, which some are already doing,” the official told POLITICO. “This work is already underway,” the official added.