Europe’s hodgepodge defence build-up

Fighter jet assembly work at a Saab facility in Linköping, Sweden. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has set off a mad dash by more than 30 allied countries to arm after years of minimal spending, raising concerns that the massive buildup will be disjointed, resulting in waste, supply shortages, unnecessary delays and duplication. — ©2023 The New York Times Company

AT Saab’s sprawling combat production centre in Karlskoga, Sweden, the 84mm shells that can take out a battle tank in a single stroke are carefully assembled by hand. One worker stacked tagliatelle-shaped strips of explosive propellant in a tray. Another attached the translucent sheafs around the rotating fins of a guiding system.

Outside the squat building, one of hundreds in the guarded industrial park, construction is under way on another factory. Capacity at this plant – a few minutes’ drive from the home of Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite and founder of the peace prize – is scheduled to more than double in the next two years.