Turkey is slated to become the United States' biggest supplier of artillery shells as allies within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) continue to drain their stockpiles with military aid deliveries to Ukraine. Now, most allies are struggling to maintain healthy munition stocks while still providing aid to Ukraine.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also presents himself as a possible partner in searching for peace between Ukraine and Russia. (Related: NATO’s ammo shortage worsens due to skyrocketing prices and Ukrainian troops’ overconsumption of artillery shells.)
The U.S. is currently in talks with Ankara for raw materials like trinitrotoluene, known as TNT, and nitroguanidine, which is used as a propellant for munitions. Both are crucial for the production of NATO-standard 155mm caliber artillery ammunition.
With sufficient provision of these raw materials, the U.S. could potentially triple its production. Turkey is already on track to become America's biggest seller of artillery shells as early as this year.
The rise in demand has delayed worldwide orders and has put pressure on defense supply chains, especially for ingredients such as TNT.
The complicated negotiations with Ankara lay bare the delicate balance that needs to be maintained within NATO. Relations between many member nations have been strained these past few years due to the ongoing Russian special military operation in Ukraine as well as by Turkey's recently-concluded months-long blockade of Sweden's accession to the military alliance.
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Turkey and the U.S. working on creating closer military ties
Erdogan has already planned to visit the White House on May 9 – his first visit since President Joe Biden took office in 2021 – as Ankara and Washington work to smooth over military ties. There are already indications that relations are improving, as Turkey's approval of Sweden's NATO membership earlier this year cleared the way for the U.S. to sign off on a $23 billion sale of American-made F-16 fighter jets, as well as a whole host of missiles and bombs.
The partnership on ammunition production would build on improving military relations with Turkey. The Department of Defense said in February that it has already contracted General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems to build three assembly lines for building 155mm projectile parts in Texas with the help of Turkish subcontractors. This plant, to be built in Mesquite, is scheduled to move into production as early as June of this year.
In Turkey, local defense manufacturer Repkon is expected to ramp up production to the point that, by 2025, the company will be producing some 30 percent of all U.S.-made 155mm artillery shells.
In a statement on Repkon's ramping up of production and the investment into Mesquite, the Pentagon said working with allies "is key to building a global defense industrial base."
Furthermore, Washington bought 116,000 rounds of battle-ready ammunition from Turkish company Arca Defense, with delivery scheduled later this year and additional purchases believed to be finalized soon and ready for shipment in 2025.
U.S. and NATO efforts are contributing to the race to catch up with Moscow's own manufacturing capabilities. Russia's war machine is projected to domestically produce and procure as much as four million rounds of ammunition by the end of the year with the help of shipments from North Korea.
Meanwhile, the European Union expects to triple its production of artillery shells this year to around 1.4 million units.
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