On October 29, Poland commenced the construction of a new facility dedicated to producing shells for 155 mm artillery ammunition. The announcement was made by the country's Ministry of Defense.
The plant, located in Kraśnik, Lublin Voivodeship, just 100 km from the Ukrainian border, will be built by the company Mesko.
The cornerstone ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Wojciech Kosiniak-Kamysz, who described the project as an "investment in security".
"This decision comes in light of current events concerning large-caliber ammunition. [...] These are critical supplies of 155 mm shells. In the context of Ukraine, Poland is committed to supporting, as the border of Polish security lies along the Ukrainian-Russian front," said the Polish minister.
Mesko is the only defense industry enterprise in Poland that manufactures casings for 155 mm artillery ammunition.
In mid-2025, Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa received 2.4 billion zloty (over $660 million) from the Capital Investment Fund, with 887 million zloty (around $245 million) allocated to Mesko for infrastructure expansion and production line upgrades.
The Polish army utilizes 155mm artillery shells for its Krab howitzers and Korean K9 Thunder units.