BAE Systems has been awarded a four-year framework agreement worth up to £4 million to supply artillery, howitzer and armoured vehicle weapon-system components to the UK Ministry of Defence, including parts associated with the 105mm Light Gun, the UK Defence Journal understands.
The agreement was awarded by Babcock Land Defence Limited, acting as an agent for the Ministry of Defence, and was signed on 12 August 2026. According to the contract award notice published through the government’s Find a Tender service, the framework will run until 11 August 2030 and has no extension options.
BAE Systems GCS International Limited is the named supplier. The contract is valued at £4 million excluding VAT, or £4.8 million including VAT, and covers goods classified under the procurement category for military vehicles and associated parts.
Around 499 NATO Stock Numbers are expected to fall within the initial scope of the agreement. These cover components for artillery and howitzer systems, along with armoured vehicle weapon systems, with the 105mm Light Gun specifically identified in the notice.
All items supplied under the framework are to be identified through NATO Stock Numbers and provided against manufacturers’ part numbers. Babcock has also retained the ability to add further items of a similar nature after award, beyond those initially included within the agreement.
The 105mm Light Gun is the British Army’s principal lightweight towed artillery system and has been in service for several decades. Designed for deployment by air, helicopter and ground transport, it remains in use with British artillery units and with a number of overseas operators. The latest framework concerns the supply of components rather than procurement of additional complete guns.
The agreement was placed as a direct award under the defence and security provisions of the Procurement Act 2023. The notice states that the Ministry of Defence considered BAE Systems to be the only supplier able to provide the required deliverables because of its specialist expertise, knowledge and experience in manufacturing, testing and supplying the components involved. The justification cites Section 41 of the Procurement Act and the provisions covering cases where intellectual property or exclusive rights restrict the requirement to a single supplier.
Babcock said in the procurement documentation that it intends to negotiate the requirement directly with BAE Systems GCS International Limited rather than conduct a wider competition. The notice also leaves open the possibility of a subsequent contract being placed with the same supplier after the present framework ends, provided the relevant sole-production or authorised-distributor conditions remain unchanged.
BAE Systems GCS International Limited is registered at Michaelson Road in Barrow-in-Furness. Although Barrow is more commonly associated with the company’s submarine work, the GCS International entity identified in the procurement notice is responsible for the supply arrangement covered by the framework.
The contract establishes a continuing route for the MOD to obtain replacement and support components across a range of artillery and vehicle-mounted weapon systems through to August 2030, with individual items drawn from the framework as required.
