Created in January 2004 from SME Explosives and Propellants, NEXPLO Bofors and NEXPLO Vihtavuori, EURENCO, European Energetics Corporation, is jointly owned by SME (SNPE Matériaux Energétiques), Saab and Patria.

The new company has initial revenues exceeding €100 million, 850 skilled employees and five modern production plants in Belgium (Clermont), Finland (Vihtavuori), France (Sorgues, Bergerac) and Sweden (Karlskoga), plus full support from the world-class SME Research Center (Vert-le-Petit in France).

EURENCO is the only international manufacturer to offer a complete range of cutting-edge propellants, combustible items, high explosives, new energetic molecules, cast PBX charges and reactive armors for both the defense and commercial markets. It conducts business through the following companies:

• EURENCO France, including its subsidiary PB Clermont
• EURENCO Bofors, including its subsidiary Bofors BEPAB
• EURENCO Vihtavuori

Propellants

With a long skilled experience in propellants, EURENCO manufactures a large array of single base and multi base propellants, including LOVA composite propellants, with various compositions and shapes for large and medium caliber ammunition, military and civil small caliber ammunition, reloading powders, mortar increments and industrial uses, in addition to spherical powders (PB Clermont subsidiary).

Moreover, EURENCO produces a wide range of ignition powders (spherical powders, single base propellants like BS, CBI powders) to ignite medium and large caliber ammunition.

Base Bleed Grains

EURENCO offers, through the pressing technology, a large range of base bleed grains ready to be fitted onto various artillery shells:

• 105mm OE, LP G1
• 122mm HELR, HE BB
• 130mm HE M46
• 155mm ERFB BB (NR 265, NR 268), LU 111 BB, OGRE G1, ICM 864, HEER, TKR 88BB, etc.
• COMBUSTIBLE ITEMS

EURENCO combustible items are the product of research performed and experience acquired over more than 40 years from the design and manufacturing of combustible cartridge cases. Thanks to a thorough experience in this field, the company has enlarged its combustible items' capabilities and provides the complete range of advanced combustible cases for artillery, tank and mortar munitions:

Combustible Cartridge Cases

EURENCO designs and produces a wide range of combustible cartridge cases used in 155mm and 130mm field artillery ammunition and 120mm tank munitions.

Thanks to their lightness, resistance and combustibility characteristics, these cartridge cases bring numerous advantages in comparison with metallic cartridge cases or old bag charges, such as: additional energy to fire, reduction in barrel wear, increased firing rate, protection of the propellant charge, work at higher chamber pressures, compatibility with automatic loading thanks to high mechanical properties, etc.

Combustible Modular Cases

EURENCO designs, develops and produces a wide range of combustible modular cases for field artillery 155mm/52 cal. and also able to be used in 39 cal. and 45 cal. (manual or automatic loading).

EURENCO offers modular containers for both Bottom Charge Modules (BCM) and Top Charge Modules (TCM). These cases are made of only two parts with different assembling modes (linkable or unlinkable) in accordance with needs. Furthermore, they allow loading with sticks or granular propellants in compliance with demands.

These compositions, based on Kraft paper and nitrocellulose, permit to obtain good combustibility and enough mechanical resistance for manual or automatic loading; JBMOU specifications are respected. Anti-wear additive and anti-migration agents can be directly added to the container composition in order to reduce barrel erosion and to ensure high security level when firing.

Combustible Felted Long Cartridge Cases

EURENCO develops and manufactures combustible felted long cartridge cases for artillery ammunition 155mm/52 cal. and also 45 cal. and 39 cal. Thanks to their adjustable length, these cases are fitted to most of the 155mm self-propelled and towed howitzers and offer a large range of applications in accordance with required performance:

• Use in 155mm top charge to reach the maximum range of 155mm/52 cal. howitzers
• Utilization in replacement of old bag charges with the same advantages than combustible cartridge cases; dimensions are fitted to other charge elements in order to keep the same ranges

Combustible Mortar Horseshoe Containers

EURENCO produces NITROFILM and felted NC horseshoe containers for 60mm, 81mm and 120mm mortar ammunition.

Nitrofilm

This energetic product, which is mainly nitrocellulose based, is available in sheets or transformable rolls. Thanks to its thermoplasticity and easy transformable properties, various shapes can be obtained such as containers, disks, cases, increments and pyrotechnical igniters. NITROFILM can also be structured with nylon to reinforce its mechanical properties according to user requirements.

High Explosives and Compositions

EURENCO is the sole company worldwide to mass produce I-RDX®. This unique quality of RDX, available in usual grain size distribution, is used instead of classical RDX in explosive charge, solid rocket propellant and gun propellant manufacturing.

This substitution permits to better fulfil Insensitive Munitions' specifications by reducing considerably shock sensitivity levels of RDX-based compositions, without modifying the other characteristics. This effect is particularly verified with cast PBX charges and composite solid propellants.

EURENCO also manufactures a wide range of high explosives, such as: TNT, PETN, RDX, HMX, NTO, TATB, HNS, DNBF, TNC, styphnic acid and compositions, in addition to new energetic molecules, such as: CL20, GAP DIOL, FOX-7, ADN, GUDN, DADNPO.

These products find applications in a number of fields such as melt-cast and pressed explosive charges for ammunition, space and military pyrotechnics, cast PBX charges for Insensitive Munitions, rocket and space propulsion, LOVA composite propellants, oil and gas industry, etc.