The commercial court of the French city of Tarbes on October 26 initiated judicial financial recovery proceedings for the company Les Forges de Tarbes, which produces 155-mm artillery shell casings, including for the Caesar systems transferred to Ukraine. The plant is in a difficult financial situation and needs a new investor to continue operations.
This was reported by the French publications Le Parisien and La Dépêche du Midi.
Les Forges de Tarbes is one of the strategic enterprises of the French defense industry. The plant manufactures metal casings for 155-mm artillery ammunition used, in particular, by the Caesar self-propelled artillery systems. France supplies such systems to the Ukrainian army to counter Russian aggression.
The enterprise, which employs 63 people, is owned by the industrial group Europlasma. In 2021, the company purchased the plant and promised to modernize production facilities to increase output of shell casings to 15,000 units per month by 2025. However, these plans were not fully realized.
On October 22, Europlasma announced the insolvency of the enterprise and applied to the court to open redressement judiciaire proceedings. This French legal mechanism provides for judicial supervision of the financial recovery of a company that cannot meet its payment obligations.
The court decision does not mean automatic closure of the plant. On the contrary, the procedure is intended to ensure conditions for preserving production, jobs, and finding a new owner or investor.
According to La Dépêche du Midi, the management of Les Forges de Tarbes and employee representatives supported the court application. They hope the enterprise will be purchased by an industrial company capable of financing the modernization of production.
The plant management reported the presence of three to four potential candidates for purchasing the enterprise. However, there are no concrete agreements on sale yet.
Financial difficulties of Les Forges de Tarbes arose against the background of the deteriorating situation of the entire Europlasma group. The company suffered significant losses in 2025 and faced a shortage of working capital. Its other industrial assets are also in crisis: the foundry Fonderie de Bretagne is being liquidated, and a buyer is being sought for the metallurgical company Valdunes.
French law enforcement agencies have also taken an interest in the situation at the plant. The French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) has contacted the prosecutor's office of Tarbes, reporting management decisions that, in the agency's opinion, could have accelerated the deterioration of the company's financial condition.
Europlasma previously stated that the plant's problems are related, in particular, to insufficient volume of government orders. The company also denied accusations of mismanagement.
The future of Les Forges de Tarbes is important for French production of artillery ammunition, some of which is used by the Ukrainian military. The enterprise is a key link in the production of shell casings for Caesar systems, and its financial problems create risks for the stability of the corresponding production chain.
At the same time, there are currently no reports of complete cessation of production or disruption of ammunition supply to Ukraine. According to local French media, the plant continues to operate, and further prospects will depend on the results of the judicial procedure and the search for an investor.
Based on materials from: Le Parisien, La Dépêche du Midi, Europlasma
