BAE Systems has announced a significant leap forward in munitions manufacturing, unveiling new methods that are expected to enhance the UK’s strategic supply chain resilience and increase artillery production capacity exponentially.
Following over £150 million of investment in its UK munitions facilities since 2022, BAE says the developments will “deliver a sixteen-fold increase in production capacity of 155mm artillery shells” when its new explosive filling facility at Glascoed, South Wales, becomes operational this summer.
In addition to that, the company has invested £8.5 million in advanced manufacturing research over the past five years, leading to what it calls “significant breakthroughs in the creation of next generation explosives and propellants.”
A key element of the new production approach is continuous flow processing—a method that allows the synthesis of explosive material without relying on Nitrocellulose and Nitroglycerine. These materials are currently under pressure globally due to heightened demand, particularly in light of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
According to BAE Systems, this will enable the UK to “produce sufficient explosives and propellants in the UK to meet UK Ministry of Defence and export requirements,” with industrial-scale capacity expected by the end of 2026.
Steve Cardew, Business Development Director at BAE Systems’ Maritime and Land Defence Solutions, said: “Our leap forward in synthetic energetics and propellant manufacture will strengthen the UK’s supply chain resilience and support our ramp up of critical munitions production to meet growing demand in response to the increasingly uncertain world we’re living in.”
He added that the new methods also “support economic growth through high-skilled jobs and potential export opportunities.”
BAE has already piloted the breakthrough, demonstrating that small node-based production of explosives is feasible. The technology eliminates the need for a large-scale explosive factory, offering a safer and more cost-effective way of manufacturing propellant.
The company states the new processes are “intended to require lower investment and would offer greatly reduced running costs,” while also improving safety by keeping the amount of explosive material in process to a minimum.
As the UK Ministry of Defence’s primary ammunition provider, BAE Systems currently supplies a broad spectrum of munitions—from small arms to artillery—produced at facilities across Cheshire, Monmouthshire, and Tyne and Wear.
