Belgium boosts rocket production with new $21 million investment
A key European manufacturer of 70 mm rockets, Thales Belgium, has announced the launch of a new production line to increase the scale of production of the FZ275 LGR missile, reports the Ukrainian portal Defense Express.
Jul 2, 2024 | updated: 3:18 PM EDT, July 3, 2024
Belgium has announced a new production line launched at the Thales missile factory. The cost of this modernization is estimated to be around $21 million. Thanks to this, the Belgian company will significantly increase its monthly production capacity. They aim to produce 5,000 rounds of FZ275 LGR ammunition per month. This number is expected to be reached in the coming months of 2025. For comparison, until now, Belgian Thales has produced 1,000 units of the 70 mm FZ275 LGR rockets monthly.
Defense Express also clarifies that these missiles are used, among other things, by soldiers in Ukraine. The German government announced support for including this weapon back in 2023. However, no official reports suggest that the increase in production in Belgium is directly related to potential ammunition transfers to Ukraine.
Anti-tank missile FZ275 LGR
The FZ275 LGR (Laser Guided Rocket) missile is produced by Thales, formerly known as Forges de Zeebrugge. It is an air-to-ground, anti-tank, and anti-personnel-guided ammunition with a history dating back to the first decade of the 21st century. The program related to the development of the FZ275 began in 2006.
The first successful launch of this Belgian missile took place after four years, in 2010, while in 2015, Thales recorded another successful test firing from the Rooivalk helicopter at the Denel Overberg Test Range (South Africa). Further test firings took place in December 2017 in the Swedish town of Älvdalen.
The FZ275 LGR missile has a diameter of 70 mm, a length of 5 feet 11 inches, and weighs over 27 pounds, with the warhead (HE) with impact fuse (MK352) accounting for 9 pounds, and the explosive materials inside weighing 2 pounds. Guidance to the target is provided by a semi-active laser compliant with the STANAG 3733 standard.
The Belgian missile produced by Thales has a range of 5 miles, with a minimum range of 1 mile. The accuracy of the FZ275 LGR is stated to be 3 feet at an impact range of 4 miles. Thales reports that the missile is effective against various targets, including lightly armored vehicles, radar systems, communication complexes, aircraft (on the ground), small boats, and bunkers.
