Forges de Tarbes, Digi Mart USA News (Tarbes, Hautes-Pyrénées, France): Since October 27, 2026, the Forges de Tarbes have been under judicial reorganization. Local officials say the company must not disappear from France’s strategic industrial landscape, and four potential buyers are reportedly interested.
The plant manufactures 155mm artillery shell bodies used by the Ukrainian army in its war against Russia. Mayor Pascal Claverie, a centrist, said the site is a matter of sovereignty, employment and know-how, noting that the town has made cannons since the reign of Louis XIV.
Claverie said the Minister Delegate for Industry told him that four industrial entrepreneurs are interested in the case, though confidentiality constraints prevent him from giving further details. He said two of them stand out, and that the state is committed to keeping the shell-body production operating in Tarbes.
Earlier, on October 27, 2026, Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin told the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces that the government is talking with four industrial candidates to take over the company’s expertise. She said her clear objective is to ensure the continued viability of the industrial tool, because France needs 155mm shells.
Claverie said he wants a genuine industrial owner rather than a financialized company like the one seen under Europlasma, and specifically not a financial player backed by a fund in the Cayman Islands. He expressed strong criticism of Europlasma’s management of the site.
The Directorate General of Armaments recently used Article 40 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to refer the matter to the courts, after a sale transaction involving the sale of the factory walls while continuing to occupy the plant under a lease.
Production has fallen sharply in recent years: 71,000 shell bodies in 2025, 30,000 in 2026 and a projected 20,000 for 2027, according to Claverie. He said the break-even point is 19 million euros in revenue, meaning the state and the group KNBS, a European leader in land defense, must guarantee sufficient orders for the site to remain viable.
Sylvie Ferrer, a La France Insoumise deputy for Hautes-Pyrénées, has called for nationalization. She said her parliamentary group will again propose an amendment to nationalize Europlasma’s assets in France as part of the 2027 finance bill.
The plant currently employs 63 workers in Tarbes, who will now be paid through the wage guarantee system (AGS). The deadline for submitting takeover offers is November 23, 2026, after which more will be known about the candidates and their investment plans, and the plant must also address compliance upgrades.
