Woyzeck hat geschrieben: ↑Sa 27. Apr 2024, 19:16Dass Russland unter Sanktionsbedingungen derart rasch eine leistungsfähige Rüstungsindustrie hochfahren konnte und weder Marschflugkörper, noch andere High Tech Waffen auszugehen scheinen, während wir es
mit unserer um ein Vielfaches leistungsfähigeren Wirtschaft nicht einmal schaffen, popelige 155mm Granaten in ausreichender Stückzahl herzustellen, ist ein Armutszeugnis.
Die Gesamtwirtschaft hinsichtlich des BIP pro Kopf, ja. Bei der Produktion von Rüstungsgütern schlagen jetzt eben die Folgen von 35 Jahren Abrüstung, Sparpaketen bei den Streitkräften, Reden von "10-jährigen Vorwarnzeiten" und "Rüstungskonversion" durch. Und obendrein Abhängigkeiten von Drittstaaten bei der Versorgung mit kritischen Rohstoffen:
China is a threat to Europe’s gunpowder supply, defense boss warns
Europe is too reliant on China to make powder for ammunition and risks a supply crisis that could threaten the continent’s security, one of the EU’s most important defense contractors warned.
In an interview with POLITICO, Saab CEO Micael Johansson called on governments to cut environmental rules to make it easier for companies to diversify their supply chains for critical military components.
When it comes to the supply of ingredients for gunpowder — the propellant used to fire out shells — Western defense firms should look to diversify their sources, said Johansson.
While lead times and prices for some components have improved, Johansson told POLITICO that the European defense industry still faced “bottlenecks”, especially on “powder and nitrocellulose to create powder”.
“The risk of China sort of disconnecting the deliveries of nitrocellulose to do powder in Europe … would be detrimental.”
By the beginning of 2026, the European Commission reckons the bloc will be producing 2 million shells a year. But one of the main bottlenecks to faster production is the shortage of propellant and explosive powder.
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.
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.
Already in 2022, Finnish-Norwegian ammunition maker Nammo started looking into substituting tree-based cellulose for the cotton-based cellulose widely in use.
However, over-reliance on China goes beyond nitrocellulose, Johansson warned. Environmental rules need to be overhauled to make it easier for European companies to diversify their supply chains, he added.
Europe's defense manufacturers "have to look at the ecosystem and materials like aluminum and titanium, to see what dependencies we have on China, and Russia to some extent," Johansson said. Before Moscow invaded Ukraine, Europe's aerospace giants including Airbus were heavily reliant on Russia for titanium, which is a key material for the defense industry, used for building both military aircraft and submarines. Aluminum can be used for warships and military vehicles.
"Environmental approvals needed to get these materials from other parts of the world, including Europe, take up to 10 years to get approved," the Swedish executive added. "We can't have it like that if we want to change these sort of dependencies going forward."
https://www.politico.eu/article/saab-ce ... ns-europe/
6th Nitrocellulose Symposium (April 2014, Rijswijk, The Netherlands)
https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/about/cds/i ... -symposium
Die Platzhirsche in Europa sind
EURENCO und die
Nitrochemie-Gruppe. In Polen gibt es noch einen bedeutenden Hersteller von Schwarzpulver,
ZS Black Powder Sp. z o.o..
In Österreich fehlen schon Ausgangsstoffe zur Munitionsproduktion (Abgesehen davon, dass es in Österreich bis auf RUAG Ammotec, Rheinmetall Waffe Munition Arges, Hirtenberger Defense Systems und anscheinend
DeNovus praktisch keine Munitionshersteller mehr gibt. Treibladungen für Werfergranaten entstehen bei der
Kaufmann & Gottwald GmbH in Wien - siehe auch dieses
Patent.).
- Department of Defense
Review of the Foreign Comparative Testing Program
FY2005 - FY2006
Celluloid Mortar Increment Containers – Austria – 2004
The Warheads, Energetics and Combat Support Armaments Center of the Army’s Armaments Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, is evaluating foreign celluloid mortar increment containers as a second source for the nitrocellulose-based belted-fiber Mortar Increment Containers (MIC) used to contain and protect propulsion charge systems in 60mm, 81mm and 120mm mortars. The candidate containers are manufactured by Kaufman & Gottwald (KAGO) GmbH of Austria, a world leader in celluloid material fabrication. Qualification of KAGO as a second source of celluloid MICs will significantly reduce U.S. production costs and improve the durability of propulsion charge systems for semi- and auto-loading capabilities required for the Army’s Future Combat System. The test article contract was awarded to KAGO in April 2004 and certification of the Austrian celluloid MIC tooling and manufacturing process was completed in first quarter FY 2005. The FCT test program will continue through FY 2007 at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.
https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA487483.pdf
Der einzige österreichische Hersteller von Ausgangsprodukten für Nitrozellulose ("Schießbaumwolle") ist Austrocel Hallein. Konzentrierte Salpetersäure, wie sie für Explosivstoffe erforderlich ist, wird bei uns überhaupt nicht produziert (
Nitriersäure). Zur Herstellung von konzentrierter Salpetersäure benötigt man Schwefelsäure, die bei uns ausschließlich von der
Donau Chemie AG hergestellt wird:
Pulps or cellulose derivatives are starting products or additives in a variety of everyday products. These range from the food and the cosmetics industry through to the cement industry. AustroCel Hallein focuses on pulp specialties which are suitable for the production of nitrocellulose, cellulose ether, micro-crystalline cellulose, sausage skins, and other specialty applications, for example.
https://www.austrocel.com/en/pulp/
Es gibt auch keine Produktion von Schwarzpulver. 1986 existierten noch elf österreichische Firmen, die Munition oder Sprengmittel herstellten:
Die Bowas Induplan Chemie GesmbH entwickelt und konstruiert u.a. Produktionsanlagen für Nitrozellulose, Treibladungspulver und TNT:
https://www.bowas-induplan.com/manufact ... itary.html
Wenn man dagegen nach Ungarn schaut: Dort entsteht momentan eine eigene
Sprengmittelfabrik und ein Werk zur
Munitionsproduktion.