Polish firm teams with Northrop, ST Engineering to tap Poland’s massive ammo spending

WARSAW, Poland — Privately-owned Niewiadów Polish Military Group has teamed up with Northrop Grumman and Singapore’s ST Engineering to launch 155-millimeter and 40-millimeter ammunition production in Poland, catering to the country’s plans to spend PLN 23.8 billion ($6.5 billion) on ammo and rockets from the European Union’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) loans.

Adam Januszko, the chief executive of Niewiadów Polish Military Group, told Defense News the group’s strategy is focused on developing domestic ammunition production capacities that are to “ensure the sovereignty of deliveries for Poland and NATO allies.”

“The key element of this strategy is the construction of a robotized 155mm ammunition factory with a target production capacity of 180,000 rounds per year. At the same time, in cooperation with a partner from Singapore, we are developing production of 40mm ammunition with a planned output capacity of up to 480,000 rounds per year,” Januszko said.

The development comes as Niewiadów is readying to debut on the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange in late April 2026. The group is following in the footsteps of another ammunition producer from the region, Czechoslovak Group (CSG), whose recent stock market listing reinforced its status as central-eastern Europe’s largest defense industry player.

CSG is the main industry actor in the Czech Republic and Slovakia where it runs numerous factories that make weapons, ammunition and military gear. The business is also a major supplier of artillery shells to the Ukrainian military.

Similar to many other countries across the region, Poland is advancing efforts to accommodate new ammunition factories that would provide a domestic supply for its military, with a particular focus on artillery rounds.

In September 2025, the country’s state-run defense group PGZ selected the U.K.’s BAE Systems as its technology partner for the planned ramp-up in ammo production. The British company said in a statement the designed munitions factory “will use BAE Systems’ manufacturing technology and feature the same automated technology that will deliver a sixteen-fold increase in production capacity of 155mm artillery shells at its facilities in the U.K.”

In the long term, Poland’s Army is to operate a fleet of some 1,000 self-propelled howitzers. This necessitates a boost in domestic manufacturing capacities for 155mm rounds that not only PGZ but also privately-owned companies such as Niewiadów are seeking to accommodate.

With numerous allies across the region looking to boost their ammo stockpiles, Niewiadów acknowledges that the company has eyes on future exports. Its cooperation with foreign partners is designed to accelerate the roll out of the first rounds from production lines.

“The group is gaining access to proven solutions from global leaders which significantly strengthens its technological advantage and shortens the time required to bring products to the market,” Januszko said, referring to the partnership with Northrop Grumman and ST Engineering. “The ultimate goal of these efforts is the gradual localization of production in Poland while maintaining the highest global standards of quality and firepower performance.”

Along NATO’s eastern flank, Germany’s Rheinmetall is also making headway with its campaign to develop local artillery ammunition production capacities. In Bulgaria, Latvia and Lithuania, the firm has established joint ventures with state-owned companies to build 155mm factories. In the Romanian market, local offshoot Rheinmetall Munitions Romania will produce medium-caliber ammunition for infantry fighting vehicles and air-defense systems, while the explosive powder plant in Victoria will make propellants, with Rheinmetall supplying the know-how and technology.

Other countries from the region that are currently negotiating with foreign ammunition producers include Estonia whose defense minister, Hanno Pevkur, recently said an agreement with a yet-undisclosed supplier of 155mm shells is to be signed this month. Estonian state-run broadcaster ERR has reported the chosen company is “a Swedish defense industry firm” that is to open a €300 million ($351 million) ammunition plant in the country’s Põhja-Kiviõli defense industry park.

Niewiadów is currently listed on the NewConnect market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange. In addition to its ammunition business, other areas of the group’s activities include drones, mines, personal weapons and military logistics operations, according to data from the company.