Reflex: Czechia must be self-sufficient in ammunition
In an interview, Pavel Kudrhalt, Chairman of the Board of Directors of STV GROUP, describes investments, new technologies, and capacity expansion that will strengthen the security of the Czech Republic.
STV GROUP is launching strategic production of forged projectile bodies for artillery shells with calibres of 155, 152, and 122 millimetres. The new technology maintains weight tolerances in the order of tens of grams, which increases firing accuracy and repeatability and eliminates the need for weight marking. Czech partners will supply the materials, and next year will see the addition of shells with an increased range of up to forty kilometres.
We will increase our production capacity for 155 mm artillery ammunition from approximately 200,000 pieces per year to a target of 300,000 pieces per year. To this end, we are developing the production of mortar shells and so-called eastern calibres. Our sister company currently produces hundreds of millions of rounds of ammunition for handguns.
"For the Czech Republic, this is another significant step towards arms self-sufficiency," says Pavel Kudrhalt. Czechia must be self-sufficient in ammunition.
We have already spent two billion crowns on modernisation and will invest another five billion in the next three years. We will focus on our own pyrotechnic compositions, igniters, and the development of solid propellants. We will expand our anti-tank mine and hand grenade programs. Together with a foreign partner, we are also preparing to produce solid propellants for rocket ammunition.
Our portfolio is complemented by armed drones, ranging from smaller systems controlled from the pilot's perspective to machines with a range of hundreds of kilometres. New additions include the STV M4 Golem, a heavy armoured vehicle with high ballistic and mine protection for the crew, as well as protection against attacks by smaller drones.
We are expanding our team and production facilities, including a new site in the Vysočina region, which we recently purchased. We have a long-standing tradition of providing opportunities to veterans of war, former police officers, and firefighters. We support our employees' membership in the Czech Army's Active Reserve. We also support local communities.
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More in Pavel Kudrhalt's interview for Reflex below.