Poland's state-owned defense conglomerate, Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), has inaugurated a new Non-Destructive Research Center at its ZPS "Gamrat" special production facility in Jasło, marking a significant investment in defense manufacturing and inspection capabilities as the country advances preparations under the European Union’s SAFE rearmament program.
The new center, valued at approximately PLN 11 million (EUR 2.6 million), is designed to automate the testing of rocket fuels and mortar propellant charges, replacing previously manual inspection processes while expanding the facility’s overall research and testing capacity.
The investment strengthens PGZ’s ability to support ammunition production and quality assurance activities, particularly within the manufacturing chain for 155mm artillery shells. The Jasło facility currently produces propellants, rocket fuels, and pyrotechnic materials and serves as a key component of Poland’s broader defense production ecosystem.
PGZ Chief Executive Officer Adam Leszkiewicz highlighted the strategic importance of the new facility, noting its unique role within the group’s operations.
"This center will simply serve Polish defense industry and security through functions that did not exist here before", he said.
The Jasło plant employs approximately 160 personnel and operates as a profitable entity within PGZ’s ammunition production domain. According to Leszkiewicz, the facility will also directly benefit from Poland’s participation in the European Union’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program, which supports the expansion of defense manufacturing capabilities across member states.
He noted that because the SAFE program includes support for 155mm artillery shell production, "ZPS Gamrat, as a co-producer, will benefit directly".
Poland formally secured EUR 43.7 billion in low-interest defense procurement loans through the SAFE initiative following an agreement signed with the European Commission on May 8. The funding is intended to support projects including missile defense systems, anti-drone technologies, artillery production, air defense capabilities, and military transport infrastructure, with the majority of investment expected to remain within the domestic defense industry.
As contract negotiations continue ahead of the program’s implementation deadlines, PGZ has established 39 dedicated negotiating teams to manage project execution and procurement activities.
"The time pressure is enormous. We are also aware that signing is not the end — it is the opposite, the beginning — because we then face the enormous task of fulfilling these commitments within just under four years", Leszkiewicz said.
For the inspection and testing sector, the establishment of the Non-Destructive Research Center represents a notable advancement in automated testing capabilities within defense manufacturing. By expanding non-destructive evaluation and research infrastructure, PGZ aims to enhance production reliability, testing efficiency, and quality assurance processes across critical defense materials and components.
The development comes as European defense manufacturers continue investing in advanced inspection, testing, and validation technologies to support increased production requirements under regional rearmament initiatives and long-term defense modernization programs.
