Ammunition rules shift as industry testing barriers ease

The European Defence Agency (EDA) will coordinate the Joint Ammunition Qualification (JAQ) programme, funded with fifty million euro by the European Commission under the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP).

JAQ is intended as an initial step towards a more harmonised European approach to ammunition testing. At present, each member state applies its own procedures to verify safety and performance.

The project aims to streamline how ammunition is tested and approved across participating countries. It will initially focus on one hundred and fifty-five millimetre artillery ammunition, identified by member states as a priority, according to the EDA.

Currently, manufacturers supplying the same ammunition to multiple countries must often repeat testing and approval processes in each market, reflecting differing national rules and procedures.

JAQ seeks to introduce common procedures so that ammunition qualified in one member state would not require re-testing in others.

The primary objective is to establish the foundations of an EU-level qualification framework, reducing delays and costs while enabling armed forces to operate common ammunition more easily in joint operations.

Over the past two decades, the EDA has supported member states by identifying relevant standards and linking test centres across Europe, helping to reduce duplication and improve interoperability.

This approach is now being extended to ammunition through JAQ.