France is moving to restore domestic production of small-caliber ammunition through a 15-year agreement with FN Browning Group.
France is moving to restore domestic production of small-caliber ammunition through a 15-year agreement with FN Browning Group.
Selected by the French defense procurement agency under the Small-Calibre Ammunition tender, FN Browning will establish a facility in Clérieux, in the Drôme region, for 5.56mm and 7.62mm military ammunition.
The facility is expected to begin operations in 2029 with a target of 75 million rounds annually, with output adjustable to French military requirements.
FN Browning will fund the infrastructure, staffing, training, and technology transfer, while the defense procurement agency will purchase and retain ownership of the production machinery.
Work will initially cover powder loading, assembly, and packaging, with France also planning to qualify European suppliers across the ammunition supply chain. The government said domestic production could later expand to additional components, including propellant powders and primers.
FN Browning's bid brings together expertise from FN Herstal, Cheditte, and Nobelsport. Propellant powder will also come through a dual-supply arrangement involving French energetic-materials company Eurenco, adding another layer of resilience to the supply chain.
“This reindustrialization, driven by cooperation between French and Belgian companies, illustrates the complementarity and the essential cooperation of Europe’s defense industries, to the benefit of our industrial dynamism and our collective security,” FN Browning CEO Julien Compère said.
France Expands Ammunition Capacity
The move reflects France's broader push to boost ammunition capacity.
In February, the country awarded KNDS Ammo France a contract to supply Shard kinetic-energy rounds for its modernized Leclerc main battle tanks. The seven-year framework agreement covers armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot ammunition, with initial deliveries expected by mid-2029.
The company earlier received a contract to produce 40mm telescoped ammunition for the army’s Jaguar armored vehicles and the French Navy's RapidFire turrets.
Eurenco also restarted gunpowder production at its Bergerac facility in 2025 after France had largely abandoned domestic manufacturing of the material. The site initially targeted 1,200 tons of propellant powder annually, with plans to reach 1,800 tons, supporting roughly 100,000 artillery shells. The project received government and EU support.
