Running full-tilt, as it was on a recent January morning, the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant churns out roughly 11,000 artillery shells a month. That may seem like a lot, but the Ukrainian military often fires that many shells over just a few days.

To meet that demand, the Scranton plant is undergoing a massive expansion, fueled by millions of dollars in new defense spending from the Pentagon. It’s investing in new high-tech machinery, hiring a few dozen additional workers and will eventually shift to a 24/7 schedule of constant production.

“It’s certainly ramped up over the last year. As we bring in more modern equipment, it’ll be able to ramp up even further,” said Todd Smith, senior director of General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, which operates the plant for the Army.

Eoin Treacy's view

Russia is taking a calculated bet that NATO will run out of munitions before it runs out of material and men to throw into the offensive. The cost in lives to Russia is grizzly to comprehend but there are several examples of how human waves can blunt the appetite of opposition to continue fighting. The Russian route to victory lies in grinding the Ukrainian armed forces down and weakening NATO’s ability to fight conventional wars by expending their arsenals. Avoiding that outcome means NATO countries will need to spend significantly more on defense.
General Dynamics remains in a consistent medium-term uptrend.
Lockheed Martin is also still trending higher in a consistent manner.
BAE Systems moved to a new all-time high today as it extends the breakout.