68hx.1806
2024-04-19 23:00:43 UTC
https://www.politico.eu/article/saab-ceo-warns-against-reliance-china-make-weapons-europe/
While lead times and prices for some components have improved,
Johansson told POLITICO that the European defense industry still
faced “bottlenecks”, especially on “powder and nitrocellulose
to create powder”.
“The risk of China sort of disconnecting the deliveries
of nitrocellulose to do powder in Europe … would be
detrimental.”
Since the war in Ukraine started, Europe's defense companies
have been under pressure to produce more weapons and ammunition,
faster — both to support Kyiv and to bolster domestic defense.
. . .
Just GREAT ... fuckin' CHINA has cornered the nitrocellulose
market - THE prime ingredient needed for all kinds of mil
ammo. How'd THAT happen ???
Regular Joe stuff could, temporarily, go to olde-tyme
black powder - those 1800s big fat cartridges. But
GI JOE needs something a lot better.
Dunno what the NC cap of the USA might be, but I doubt
it'd supply the EU mil markets. Alas all the ACTION is
in Europe and middle-east at present ...
NC is one of those sneaky 'leverage points' - a small
low-tech under-the-radar item which, if withdrawn,
can have a hugely disproportional upstream effect.
Any new start-up NC maker, well, it'd involve not
only a repeatable process but LOTS of testing and
characterization of the product. Can't put Mystery
Powder into yer field howitzers or the big bang is
likely to be from the wrong end of the thing.
How many vital, consumable, defense-critical items
does the USA no longer make - but gets from China ?
Having your mil dependent on your ENEMIES is Bad,
Bad, BAD.
While lead times and prices for some components have improved,
Johansson told POLITICO that the European defense industry still
faced “bottlenecks”, especially on “powder and nitrocellulose
to create powder”.
“The risk of China sort of disconnecting the deliveries
of nitrocellulose to do powder in Europe … would be
detrimental.”
Since the war in Ukraine started, Europe's defense companies
have been under pressure to produce more weapons and ammunition,
faster — both to support Kyiv and to bolster domestic defense.
. . .
Just GREAT ... fuckin' CHINA has cornered the nitrocellulose
market - THE prime ingredient needed for all kinds of mil
ammo. How'd THAT happen ???
Regular Joe stuff could, temporarily, go to olde-tyme
black powder - those 1800s big fat cartridges. But
GI JOE needs something a lot better.
Dunno what the NC cap of the USA might be, but I doubt
it'd supply the EU mil markets. Alas all the ACTION is
in Europe and middle-east at present ...
NC is one of those sneaky 'leverage points' - a small
low-tech under-the-radar item which, if withdrawn,
can have a hugely disproportional upstream effect.
Any new start-up NC maker, well, it'd involve not
only a repeatable process but LOTS of testing and
characterization of the product. Can't put Mystery
Powder into yer field howitzers or the big bang is
likely to be from the wrong end of the thing.
How many vital, consumable, defense-critical items
does the USA no longer make - but gets from China ?
Having your mil dependent on your ENEMIES is Bad,
Bad, BAD.