Astor Defence has signed an agreement with UK defence prime BAE Systems for the supply of military-grade Trinitrotoluene (TNT), amid a global surge in demand for explosive material for use in munitions programmes.
According to a 26 June release from Astor Defence, the long-term supply agreement will see the company deliver TNT, compliant with MIL-DTL-248D specification, to BAE Systems to support “large-scale munitions programmes”.
Astor Defence provides TNT, RDX, HMX, C4, and Nitrocellulose to various defence agencies and commercial users across the globe.
Henry Turnbull, CEO of Astor Defence, said the deal “reflected” the company’s commitment in supplying “defence grade energetics at scale” to defence organisations.
The recent announcement with BAE Systems follows a 2024 agreement to supply Norwegian-Finnish defence provider Nammo with TNT for the production of 155mm artillery shells, a munition in high demand in recent years following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Although the quantity of TNT to be supplied to BAE Systems as part of the newly announced partnership was not revealed, the earlier Nammo deal was for “thousands of tons”.
Astor Defence had previously said it had “spare capacity” for TNT supply through 2025.
BAE Systems meanwhile is embarking on an expansion of its own munitions facilities in order to meet UK and international requirements.
Munitions programmes stretched by demand
A number of reports by think tanks and analysts, including by GlobalData, have revealed the immense strain placed on global supply chains as an intensifying rearmament race, driven by geopolitical tensions and escalating defence budget, necessitates defence investment.
Key among this has been Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the subsequent support provided to Kyiv by Western allies, which have provided millions of artillery rounds, among other defence equipment including heavy armour and air defence systems.
The provision of munitions in such quantities has left national stocks depleted, with fears Russia could seek to exploit any weakness among European powers.
The UK confirmed in 2024 that it had donated 400,000 artillery shells to Ukraine and had earlier inked deals with companies such as BAE Systems to increase munitions production. Similarly, companies like Rheinmetall and KNDS in Europe are forging ahead with new production lines to meet the escalating demand.
In late-2024 the UK Ministry of Defence detailed a multi-year procurement framework to secure high explosive material to support Ukrainian demand for warheads, artillery, and other weapons, amid a global bottleneck in munitions production, under Task Force Kindred.
