Amid a rearmament surge by Western militaries resulting from the Ukraine-Russia war, demand for explosive propellent has seen considerable investment in a sector that had previously been allowed to wither on the vine.
This has included the US moving to re-onshore production of Trinitrotoluene (TNT), a key compound in the manufacture of munitions and the prime high explosive used in the production of artillery shells, as well as aerial bombs and infantry grenades.
Below, James Marques, aerospace and defence analyst at GlobalData, provides his thoughts to business news outlet CNBC.
Army Technology has previously covered investment decisions into TNT through the US and Europe. Head to the story below to learn more about investment into TNT production in the US, including Repkon’s future factory in Kentucky.
Meanwhile, European countries too are seeking to secure supplies of propellent and explosive materiel, with UK-based Astor Defence signing a deal in 2024 with Norwegian-Finnish defence OEM Nammo for “thousands of tons” of TNT.
The same company also signed a deal in 2025 with UK defence prime BAE Systems for TNT, to support “large-scale” munitions programmes. Astor Defence had previously said it had “spare capacity” for TNT supply through 2025.
