BAE Systems is set to open a new artillery production facility in Sheffield, backed by a substantial £25 million investment.
The development, spanning 94,000 sq ft, will bring 50 high-skilled jobs to the area, strengthening the UK’s homegrown artillery capabilities.
The Sheffield site will specialise in the production of the M777 lightweight towed howitzer. This move aligns with the UK government’s ambition to boost and maintain essential defence capabilities within the country.
John Borton, Managing Director of BAE Systems’ Weapons Systems UK division, emphasised the significance of the investment: “Our aim is to deliver long-term artillery capabilities for the UK, which will safeguard, sustain, and grow a critical, specialised British industrial capability as well as provide important opportunities for exports.”
Borton added that the investment would help build a highly-skilled and flexible workforce, supporting the UK’s defence infrastructure. Preparations for the site are underway, with plans to be fully operational by 2025.
Local MP Clive Betts welcomed the project, highlighting Sheffield’s engineering heritage: “Sheffield is well known for its strong history of world-class engineering and advanced manufacturing, and BAE Systems’ investment in a new artillery facility and highly skilled jobs will ensure the city continues to play a key role in delivering both economic prosperity and national security.”
The Sheffield site marks BAE Systems’ latest commitment to expanding its UK operations, say the company. This comes alongside a £300 million investment in shipbuilding facilities in Glasgow, over £200 million to upgrade the UK munitions business, and a £220 million project for a new factory in Rochester, Kent.
On the face of it, another important and incremental step in the right direction: to onshore our defence infrastructure and industry. Hopefully much more to come.
Interesting. Are we about to get the M777 towed howitzer as a replacement for the 105mm light guns?
I don’t think it means that necessarily – there has been no announcement to that effect.
There are many export customers for the gun.
The M777 project started in 1987 as the UFH and the gun was first fielded in 2005. MoD is very slow to say that the RA should have this excellent British gun.
It’s coming home.
Good to the see M777 being built in the UK again, although I’m sure if we did actually build any production variants?
Cheers CR
The US has signalled they would like a production restart.
Even for the US made guns a significant chunk was made in Barrow (the really complex Titanium bits).
M777 is 155mm, not 105mm, so unlikely.
Surprising that it is M777 since it do not have a good reputation being considered fragile. Maybe an improved version.
This is great news but raises a few questions, this seems to suggest by the wording that the UK will finally be an operator of the M777, any other indicators of this that I have missed? Either way how much of it is to be produced from UK sourced parts I wonder, only 30% presently it seems and what limitations if any, will there be on potential exports from this facility.
I think highly unlikely. Ukraine war has demonstrated that towed artillery is not a good idea (takes too long to setup fire and move again openning up to counter battery fire and drones), hence why the US is looking to phase out the m777
Caesar and Archer are a good way forward. It may be interesting to mount the 777´s gun on a truck chassis likewise. The critical component is the manufacturing of the canon itself. If this factory is able to produce the gun, it is fine, they will be put to good use. 155 is a good standart. Below, the 120mm mortar is better, more mobile, less noisy… No real sweet spot for the 105mm. The 777 as still some advantage over the Caesar: it is very simple to learn, cheap, chopper transportable, great in mountainous terrain. I guess their is a… Read more »
The decision appears to have already been made to go down the boxer route. If these guns can be used with the boxer option then yeah could help.
“Ukraine war has demonstrated that towed artillery is not a good idea (takes too long to setup fire and move again openning up to counter battery fire and drones), hence why the US is looking to phase out the m777″ This literally the exact opposite of what the Ukrainians have said!! What on earth have you been reading?? Towed artillery is more survivable as its easier to dig in, less vulnerable than an SPG (smaller footprint, no stored ammo or fuel onboard). SPG’s now no longer move in Ukraine….they bury them in deep covers and drive them out to fire… Read more »
We are clearly reading different things as what I read is they are having massive losses with their towed artillery, they prefer it because they have more of it not because it’s better.
Guess we will have to wait to the end of the war when there is a proper assessment of what went well and bad and what lessons can be learnt.
Or you could publish your sources.
I don’t have one there are many, including comments by Ukraine Generals. Trump seems to have a plan to end the war in January (I assume by telling Russia if they don’t agree the US will flood Ukraine with US weapons and telling Ukraine if they don’t then the US would pull all support) so we will find out shortly….maybe
Or just look at the open source data on artillery losses.
Have to say that there was a story not so long ago n several US defence publications ref towed light guns. A senior staff General quoted that either all.their towed guns or their M119s were no longer a practical option on the battlefield, as they took too.long to fire, mount up and move and were thus too vulnerable to counter-battery fire.
IIRC, his conclusion sounded like they intended to withdraw and replace their towed guns, or maybe just the L119s. I’ll have another hunt for the article.
Yes. There have been many stories over the years…
Only for the first time in decades we have actual proof of artillery operating in a Peer to Peer war, with vast quantities of ammunition being fired over sustained periods with the most extensive counter battery fight ever…
And towed guns are doing incredibly well…including L119
A lot of pre-war conceptions around artillery use are going to have to be re-written…
The design and IP is wholly owned by BAE UK. Production was increasingly transferred to the US which is by far the biggest customer. BAE has licensed production for India at Lucknow. There should be nothing preventing exports in future.
The really complex bits of M777 (all of the Titanium work) were always done in Barrow, even for the US. The US has also signalled they want a production restart.
How are the two statements aligned specialising in m777 and uk ambitions to boost security. The UK doesn’t use the m777 and the US is looking to phase them out so I doubt the UK is going to do the reverse and invest in them.
“Looking to phase them out”
Says who?
The US DoD in various Congress meetings. They said they would not be suitable for a war with China.
30 years ago BAE Systems closed an artillery factory in Nottingham. I’m glad it’s come full circle.
Being greedy, could we please have a small arms factory in Sheffield?
Given that it seems odd that a new factory would be built to produce a weapon type whose usefulness is on the wane. The the big question that springs to mind is will the barrels be produced in the UK? Am I right in thinking that Sheffield Forgemasters are set to produce some of the more specialist components for this new factory? I seem to remember reading something along those lines recently… If this mean barrel production in the UK, even on a small scale, then bring it on. So perhaps this is low risk strategy into reestablishing artillery production… Read more »
Forgemasters are producing the forgings. This factory will be close by and will literally ‘turn’ those forgings into barrels.
Forgemasters are investing in a vertical lathe. Surely that’s for turning the barrels.
There was an article recently that forgemasters are going to smart making forgings, but that seemed to be linked to a factory rheinmetall are opening for gun barrel production, not to this (Separate?) BAE factory
They’re only going to get the forgings from one place. There are other forging outfits in Sheffield (next door is another large one). ButForgemasters will have the experience. It might be that its RBSL that takes the interest in the barrel factory…both BAE and Rheinmetall have interests in that. KNDS make the AGM for RCH155 with KNDS and Rheinmetall being the major stakeholders in Boxer.
I welcome the return of domestic production and forming a skilled hub of expertise in the Sheffield area. It should draw in a self sustaining cluster of job options for engineers and fabricators that won’t have to worry about upending family life if one firm goes under. I also propose that the city is first to be protected by GBAD since Finningly is no more.
Curious decision unless there is a plan for the UK to replace L118 with M777. The portee version, using a Supacat vehicle was tested by the army some years ago but not ordered. It was pretty quick at shoot and scoot.
Presumably, this means the Barrow facility will close?
Barrow closed in 2018 due to no demand from US and UK….workforce all transferred to subs…
Thanks. I wasn’t aware the old Vickers facility had closed already.
Hmmm well Sheffield may we be the right place however I am not convinced we should be adopting Russian warfighting techniques especially as currently it is not helping the Russians much. We need to be able to build modern weapons to keep the Russians at arms length.
Nevertheless a big gun represents a (relatively speaking) cheap stick to bonk Ivan over the head if needs be with rather the relying solely on the snazziest kit we can get our hands on
I’ve read the M777 has a much greater logistical footprint than Light Gun, more personnel needed to operate too, which the army is not blessed with.
I’d be very surprised if they buy M777.
LG is fine for the UKCF and 16AA and it can be underslung.
What’s needed, in my view, is a wheeled SP for 7 Bde and, in an ideal world, a wheeled MLRS type for 1 Divs Bdes.
I’d hope they put Archer in 7 Bde and buy a few more.
The largest user by far is the US, nearly a thousand used by the US Army and Marines. Everyone else are also rans. If the US were seriously thinking of getting rid of them I doubt BAE would be forking out 20m on a new factory.