Who's Who in CEE Artillery Ammunition: The Four Big Producers

Four countries account for most of Central and Eastern Europe's growing artillery ammunition output: Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Bulgaria. Ownership across the four overlaps more than most outsiders realize, with one Prague-based group in particular now threaded through several of them. Here is who actually makes the shells, based on confirmed ownership and publicly stated capacity figures.

Poland

Mesko (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa)
Poland's dominant ammunition producer and, by its own statement and government confirmation, the only company in Poland producing 155mm artillery ammunition. Its shell production is centered at Kraśnik, with the wider company based in Skarżysko-Kamienna. Mesko is part of the state-owned PGZ holding, which spans more than 50 companies, and also makes the Piorun man-portable air defense system.

PGZ's 155mm expansion (Dezamet, Nitro-Chem, Gamrat)
Poland is investing roughly 565 million euros to raise its annual 155mm shell output from about 30,000 to 180,000 rounds, with facilities targeted to be fully operational by the end of 2027. Under the program, Dezamet is establishing new 155mm production lines in Nowa Dęba, while Mesko, Nitro-Chem, and Gamrat expand shell-body, explosive, and propellant component capacity.

Niewiadów Polska Grupa Militarna
A Polish group that signed a framework agreement with US contractor Northrop Grumman in February 2026 to jointly manufacture more than 180,000 155mm shells annually in Poland, with reported discussions to extend co-production into 30mm and 120mm rounds.

Czech Republic

CSG (Czechoslovak Group) and MSM Group
The dominant force in Czech and Slovak ammunition, ultimately owned by Michal Strnad, who has publicly stated his ambition to make the group Europe's second-largest defense manufacturer. In late 2024, CSG completed its acquisition of the US-based Kinetic Group (brands including Federal, Remington, CCI, and Speer) from Vista Outdoor, becoming one of the world's largest small arms ammunition makers. Its MSM Group division controls major large-caliber ammunition subsidiaries in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

STV Group
A Czech producer of small-caliber ammunition, including 9mm and 5.56mm NATO rounds, through its STV Technology subsidiary in Polička. The company supplies the Czech Army and law enforcement.

Sellier & Bellot
One of the world's oldest ammunition brands, founded in Prague in 1825 and producing at Vlašim since 1936. Colt CZ Group announced its acquisition in December 2023 and completed it in 2024, placing S&B alongside sister firearms brands CZ (Česká zbrojovka) and Colt.

Slovakia

ZVS holding
A Snina-based large and medium-caliber ammunition producer, owned 50 percent by the state-owned DMD Group and 50 percent by MSM Group (part of CSG). A new production line has been expanding its 155mm shell-body capacity, and a March 2026 joint venture with French propellant maker Eurenco is set to add modular artillery charge production at a new plant in Strážske, with capacity expected around 2028.

MSM Group's wider Slovak footprint
Beyond ZVS, MSM Group's holdings include VOP Nováky and Vývoj Martin, together covering artillery and tank ammunition, training rounds, and components across the munitions lifecycle. All sit under CSG, the same Prague-based group that dominates ammunition manufacturing in both countries.

Bulgaria

VMZ Sopot (Vazovski Mashinostroitelni Zavodi)
Bulgaria's largest armaments factory and, per multiple reports, its only remaining state-owned weapons plant, based in Sopot. In October 2025, VMZ signed a roughly 1 billion euro joint venture with Germany's Rheinmetall to build a new 155mm shell and propellant facility on-site, targeting around 100,000 shells annually, with casing production planned to begin in 2027 and energetics in 2028.

Arsenal AD
A Kazanlak-based manufacturer and Bulgaria's oldest arms supplier, tracing its origins to 1878. Arsenal produces firearms, artillery, munitions, powders, and air defense equipment, and is best known internationally for its Kalashnikov-pattern rifles.

Frequently asked questions

Which single group appears most across CEE ammunition manufacturing?

CSG, the Prague-based Czechoslovak Group, has the widest footprint. Its MSM Group division owns large-caliber ammunition subsidiaries in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and CSG has separately transferred propellant technology to Poland's Mesko.

Which country is expanding capacity the fastest?

Poland has the largest single national investment program, targeting a roughly sixfold increase in 155mm shell output to 180,000 rounds annually by the end of 2027.

Are foreign companies involved in CEE ammunition production?

Yes. Rheinmetall (Germany) has a joint venture with Bulgaria's VMZ Sopot, Northrop Grumman (US) has a framework agreement with Poland's Niewiadów, and Eurenco (France) has separate agreements with both Poland's Mesko and Slovakia's ZVS holding.