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Europe's defense industry must avoid rupturing industrial ties with the United States, as the continent cannot supply all the weapons needed to meet rising demand on its own, the head of one of Europe's largest arms producers has warned.
"I see the ramp-up not as just a European effort; it's an Allied effort between all Nato countries, including the U.S.," said Morten Brandtzaeg, chief executive of ammunition producer Nammo, which is part-owned by the Norwegian and Finnish governments.
"We should remember that Europe cannot supply itself solely," he told the Financial Times (FT).
Brandtzaeg cited Nammo's role in manufacturing U.S. missiles for F-35 fighter jets as an example of the industry's integrated supply base.
The Norwegian company produces rocket-motor engines that power AMRAAM missiles used by the jets, manufacturing them at its main production hub in Raufoss, Norway, before sending them to the U.S. to be assembled into missiles built by U.S. defense group Raytheon.
Those missiles are then delivered to European allies for use with their F-35 jets.
"In many areas of the defense industry the supply base between Europe and the U.S. is integrated ... I'm not sure that the industry has the time now to really reshuffle these production lines and say, OK, we are going to produce everything in Europe," Brandtzaeg told the FT.
Nammo is one of Europe's largest ammunition producers, manufacturing products ranging from large artillery shells to ammunition used in tanks, fighter jets and guns.
Brandtzaeg's comments come as European governments have stepped up plans to strengthen their domestic defense-industrial base and reduce dependence on critical U.S. weapons and technologies amid strained relations with the Trump administration.
Delivery delays for some U.S. weapons systems, including missile systems, to European allies have added to those tensions and pushed some countries to seek domestic alternatives.
Washington warned allies in the spring to expect long delivery delays as the U.S. prioritized replenishing its own stockpiles, which have been severely depleted by the war in the Middle East.
Speaking at a test event at Nammo's Raufoss base involving mortars and drones, Brandtzaeg warned that "short-term politics must not destroy the long-term ambition of standing shoulder to shoulder."
He said Nammo was increasing production in the U.S., which he said would leave "more room for production" at its European facilities.
"So this is a carefully orchestrated symphony between all Allied countries," he said.
Severe delays affecting the U.S.-made Patriot air defense system have stretched waiting times for government customers into the next decade.
Denmark became the first country last year to sign a contract for the Franco-Italian SAMP-T NG air defense system, with first deliveries expected in 2028.
Patrice Caine, chief executive of France's Thales, which builds the SAMP-T NG together with MBDA and Italy's Leonardo, told the FT separately that "a dozen countries across Europe and even the Middle East" had expressed interest in the system, citing both its performance and its availability compared with the Patriot system.
Caine added that Thales was also in talks with the U.K. government about offering its Belgian-built laser-guided rocket to address current shortages of the U.S.-built Hydra-70 rocket, which the U.K. uses in weapons including its new low-cost "advanced precision kill weapon system."
The U.K. Ministry of Defense said it does not comment on "munitions stocks."
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