In Ukraine, efforts to launch the production of NATO-standard ammunition are facing significant delays due to bureaucratic hurdles within the country’s Ministry of Defense. Vladyslav Belbas, the general director of Ukrainian Armor, a private defense company, highlighted these challenges during an appearance on the program “Military Highlights of the Day”.
155mm NATO shell production in Ukraine hits bureaucracy snag
Photo credit: Censor.net
The issue centers on slow-moving negotiations and sluggish contracting processes that are stalling the production of artillery rounds compatible with NATO systems, a critical need as Ukraine continues its defense against Russian forces.
Belbas pointed to the entrenched bureaucratic system as a roadblock, arguing that it prevents manufacturers from scaling up production to meet urgent frontline demands. The stakes are high, as this delay could affect Ukraine’s ability to sustain its military efforts in a conflict that has stretched into its third year, with no end in sight.
The comments from Belbas come at a time when Ukraine’s military is grappling with persistent shortages of weapons and ammunition. He emphasized that the sluggish pace isn’t just a frustration for producers—it’s a matter of national security.
The production of NATO-caliber artillery rounds, such as the widely used 155mm shells, is seen as a priority for Ukraine, which has increasingly relied on Western-supplied equipment since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Ukrainian Armor, a company known for manufacturing armored vehicles and other military hardware, has set its sights on mastering this new capability in 2025.
However, Belbas warned that without faster action from the Ministry of Defense, the timeline could slip, leaving soldiers on the front lines without the resources they desperately need.
Belbas didn’t mince words when describing the situation. He explained that the current system stifles progress by dragging out decisions on contracts, particularly those that would allow for long-term planning.
For private companies like Ukrainian Armor, long-term contracts are essential. They provide the stability needed to invest in new facilities, hire additional workers, and ramp up output without depending on direct government funding.
He argued that this approach would enable manufacturers to respond more effectively to the military’s needs, whether that means increasing the volume of existing products or developing entirely new ones. The lack of such agreements, he suggested, is a missed opportunity to bolster Ukraine’s domestic defense industry at a critical moment.
This isn’t just a hypothetical concern. Ukrainian Armor has already taken concrete steps toward producing NATO-standard ammunition. The company recently signed a deal with the Czechoslovak Group [CSG], one of Europe’s leading defense conglomerates, to collaborate on this initiative.
The agreement aims to produce 100,000 155mm artillery rounds in 2025, a significant milestone that would mark Ukraine’s entry into a new phase of military self-sufficiency. CSG, based in the Czech Republic, brings expertise and resources to the table, having established itself as a major supplier of munitions and military equipment across the continent.
For Ukraine, this partnership represents a chance to reduce its reliance on foreign aid, which has been a lifeline but also a source of uncertainty as international support fluctuates.
The push for domestic production comes against a broader backdrop of strain on global ammunition supplies. NATO countries, including the United States, have poured billions of dollars into arming Ukraine, sending everything from howitzers to small arms.
By late 2024, the U.S. alone had committed over $66 billion in military assistance since the war escalated, according to the State Department.
However, the high rate of consumption on the battlefield—Ukrainian forces have been known to fire thousands of shells daily—has outpaced production in many donor nations. This gap has prompted calls for Ukraine to develop its own manufacturing base, a goal that aligns with Belbas’s vision but hinges on overcoming internal obstacles.
The bureaucratic delays aren’t a new problem for Ukraine’s defense sector. Since the war began, the country has worked to modernize its military-industrial complex, a legacy of its Soviet past. Once a major arms exporter, Ukraine inherited a robust but outdated industry when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991.
The conflict with Russia, which intensified in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and later exploded into a full-scale war, forced a reckoning.
Efforts to reform the system gained momentum in 2020, when the government began tackling corruption and inefficiency within state-owned enterprises like Ukroboronprom, now rebranded as the Ukrainian Defense Industry.
Private companies, including Ukrainian Armor, have emerged as key players in this shift, often outpacing their state counterparts in flexibility and innovation.
Yet the transition hasn’t been smooth. Belbas’s critique echoes a familiar refrain: too much red tape slows down progress. He pointed out that while private firms are ready to step up, they need the Ministry of Defense to act decisively. Long-term contracts, he argued, would unlock a cycle of growth—more production capacity, more jobs, and ultimately more weapons for the front lines.
Without them, companies face a Catch-22: they can’t expand without guaranteed orders, and the military can’t get the supplies it needs without that expansion. It’s a frustration shared by many in Ukraine’s defense industry, where the urgency of war clashes with the plodding pace of government processes.
The partnership with CSG offers a glimpse of what could be possible. The Czech firm has a track record of supporting Ukraine, including through initiatives backed by the broader Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a coalition of over 50 nations led by the U.S. The group’s National Armaments Directors have met repeatedly since 2022 to coordinate production and deliveries, with a meeting scheduled for January 10, 2025, to further these efforts.
For Ukrainian Armor, the collaboration with CSG is a chance to tap into that network, leveraging European expertise to meet NATO standards. The 155mm shell, a staple of Western artillery systems like the M777 howitzer, is a natural starting point, given its widespread use among Ukraine’s allies.
Still, the clock is ticking. The war has entered a phase where both sides are digging in, with Russia reportedly planning to boost its defense spending to $183 billion in 2025, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Ukraine, meanwhile, faces pressure to hold the line while maintaining international support.
The Biden administration has emphasized the need for a sustainable solution, with the State Department noting on March 4, 2025, that the U.S. would pause and review its aid to ensure it aligns with long-term goals. For Ukraine, building its own ammunition production could be a step toward that sustainability, reducing dependence on foreign stockpiles that are increasingly stretched thin.
We at BulgarianMilitary.com believe that these delays highlight a deeper challenge for Ukraine: balancing immediate wartime needs with the long-term development of its defense industry. The bureaucratic bottlenecks Belbas described aren’t unique to this project—they reflect a system still adapting to the demands of a modern conflict.
While partnerships like the one with CSG show promise, their success depends on Kyiv’s ability to streamline decision-making. If the Ministry of Defense can’t cut through the red tape, Ukraine risks missing a critical window to bolster its defenses, leaving its forces vulnerable at a time when every shell counts.
The stakes extend beyond Ukraine’s borders. NATO’s own ammunition reserves have been tested by the war, with officials like Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warning in 2023 that consumption rates were outstripping production.
The alliance has since moved to update its stockpile guidelines and encourage member states to ramp up manufacturing, a process that will take years to fully bear fruit.
For the U.S., which hosts plants like the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, the challenge is twofold: supporting Ukraine while rebuilding its own depleted reserves. Ukrainian Armor’s push to produce 155mm rounds could ease some of that pressure, but only if it gets off the ground.
As of mid-March 2025, the situation remains fluid. Belbas has made it clear that Ukrainian Armor is committed to its goal, with or without immediate government backing.
The company’s leadership sees 2025 as a make-or-break year, not just for their own ambitions but for Ukraine’s broader war effort. Whether the Ministry of Defense will respond to the criticism with action is uncertain.
For now, the production of NATO-standard ammunition hangs in the balance, a test of Ukraine’s ability to adapt under pressure and a reminder of the complex interplay between bureaucracy, industry, and the battlefield. The outcome will likely shape the country’s military capabilities for months, if not years, to come.
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