Europe battles gunpowder shortage to supply shells for Ukraine’s defence against Russia
- The scarcity of gunpowder, which goes into propellant charges that hurl artillery shells over distances of tens of kilometres, has hamstrung Ukraine’s military campaign
- China has also stopped deliveries of a cotton to make powder, prompting EU to look for alternative solutions
Hard-to-find gunpowder is hindering Europe’s scramble to provide hundreds of thousands of shells for Ukraine’s defensive effort against Russian invaders, with solutions only starting to emerge.
“We have all become aware of the need to face up to the scarcity of some components, especially gunpowders,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday after a gathering of Kyiv’s allies in Paris.
“Powder is really what’s lacking today,” he added.
Gunpowder goes into propellant charges that hurl artillery shells – such as the Nato-standard 155-millimetre projectiles used in many guns sent to Ukraine – over distances of tens of kilometres.
“A simple explosive artillery shell has three parts. It has a steel casing, a high-explosive main charge and a detonator” usually set to trigger the blast on impact, said Johann Hoecherl, a munitions expert at the German armed forces university in Munich.
“Propellant charges are usually separate, because [gunners] will take one or two, up to six or even eight” depending on the desired range, he added.
