European Consortium Launches the SAAT Project to Redefine Small Arms Ammunition Standards

7 January 2025 – FN Herstal is proud to announce the official launch of the Small Arms Ammunition Technologies (SAAT) project. This four-year initiative, coordinated by FN Herstal and conducted by a European consortium made of defence companies, research organisations, and Ministries of Defence from nine countries, aims to establish a common standard for small arms ammunition in Europe in order to enhance interoperability and strengthen European strategic autonomy and sovereignty in defence.

During the kick-off meeting held at FN Herstal’s headquarters in mid-December, representatives from the nine participating countries – i.e. Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland – established the project’s governance and laid the groundwork for collaboration.

Key Objectives of the SAAT Project:

• Defining the requirements for small arms ammunition effectiveness against current
  and future threats
• Defining the state of the art of small arms ammunition technologies regarding
  projectile, propellant, cartridge case and interaction with the weapon
• Developing an optimised prototype of a small arms projectile
• Contributing to the optimisation of ammunition component technologies

With a budget of €8.3 million, the SAAT project brings together 18 European partners – large manufacturers, SMEs, research institutes, and national defence bodies – all of whom bringing leading expertise in their respective fields. Industry participants are Beretta (Italy), CZUB (Czech Republic), Eurenco (Belgium and Sweden), Fiocchi Munizioni (Italy), FN Herstal (Belgium, acting as project coordinator), Mesko (Poland), Nammo (Norway and Sweden), Nobel Sport (France) and Swiss P Defence (Switzerland). As far as research organisations are concerned, the consortium includes Armasuisse (Switzerland), DGA Techniques Terrestres (France), FFI (Norway), FOI (Sweden), RMA (Royal Military Academy of Belgium), TNO (The Netherlands) and WAT (Military University of Technology, Poland).

This diverse partnership underscores the commitment of European nations to fostering innovation and collaboration within the military small arms and ammunition sector.

“This kick-off meeting is the first step in an ambitious journey to develop innovative ammunition solutions for Europe’s defence forces,” said Jonas Granberg, Project Officer Ammunition Technology at European Defence Agency (EDA). “By bringing together expertise from across Europe, SAAT will deliver practical, effective, and forward-looking solutions that address today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.”