Thales has inaugurated a new assembly line at its ordnance facility in Belgium that is expected to expand its 70 mm laser-guided rocket output fivefold to 5,000 units by 2025.
The factory in the Walloon Region is the sole manufacturer of the 7 mm ordnance in Europe. The ammunition is the NATO standard rocket currently used in Ukraine. Interoperable and jam-resistant, it can be deployed through manned or unmanned platforms on land, air, or maritime environments.
According to Herve Dammann, executive vice president for Land and Air Systems at Thales, the Belgian government supports the creation of the new production line. Its opening shows the French defense contractor’s pursuit of “constant innovation and investment in strategic production capacities for Europe,” he said.
A $22 million investment program launched in 2023 under the European Commission’s Act in Support of Ammunition Production contributed to the expansion.
Government officials said Thales’ decision to expand its rocket production in Belgium strengthens the research and cooperation agreement that the company signed with the Belgian Ministry of Defence in 2023.