Polish TNT producer Nitro-Chem plans expansion to UK with BAE Systems

WARSAW, July 27 (Reuters) - Poland's Nitro-Chem, a major supplier of trinitrotoluene (TNT) for NATO countries' armies, has signed a letter of intent with defence company BAE Systems to build a production plant in Britain, the Polish Defence Ministry said on Monday.

• With an annual production of 10,000 metric tons, Nitro-Chem is already Europe's main producer of TNT and one of the world's largest, according to its website. It is a major supplier of the explosive to the U.S. military and other NATO members.

• Polish Deputy Defence Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka was quoted in a press release as saying the plant in Britain would produce an additional 2,000 tons per year.

• She said locating production in Britain was a matter of security, as Poland sees a threat from Russia.

• "If the most challenging scenario materialised, locating part of the production outside Poland, in the West, in an exceptionally secure location, would enhance our resilience and security," she said.

• Poland and Britain signed a defence and security treaty in May.

(Reporting by Alan Charlish. Editing by Mark Potter)