European armies are struggling to replenish their ammunition stockpiles while output from Norwegian defense group Nammo is being directed to Ukraine. CEO Morten Brandtzeg said the company’s plants are operating at full strain to sustain deliveries for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

According to Brandtzeg, European militaries are unable to rebuild their reserves of 155mm shells because everything Nammo produces is currently being sent to Ukraine. The company is therefore expanding production across its facilities.

A major part of that effort is centered on Nammo’s main site in Raufoss. The group plans to double production there by 2032, while a third manufacturing line for rocket motors has already been launched.

Nammo is also increasing its capacity to produce 155mm ammunition. A new modern plant is expected to open at the end of the year, with production scheduled to begin in 2027. Brandtzeg said the project will cost $180 million and take between two and three years to complete. Even then, he noted, the facility’s capacity would be enough for only seven days of fighting in Ukraine, according to Voennoye Obozreniye.

Expanding production lines, however, will not solve the entire problem. Breaking Defense reports that some British experts oppose approving additional orders for 155mm ammunition unless Western countries first increase output of critical components required to manufacture the shells.

Nitrocellulose and nitric acid are among the materials causing particular concern. Experts point to infrastructure constraints that are preventing a rapid increase in supplies. Without enough high explosives to fill the shells, placing more orders for 155mm ammunition will not eliminate the existing shortage.