BAE has announced it is investing £10m to build a new 12.7mm production line at its Radway Green facility in Crewe, UK.
12.7mm – also known as .50cal – has experienced a resurgence in recent years, particularly by the British Army who found it highly effective during campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Phil Simon, Light Munitions Director at BAE Systems’ Land UK business, said:
“We’ve recently won several export orders for our 5.56mm and 7.62mm ammunition thanks to our advanced and highly efficient production methods. We intend to bring the same engineering expertise to producing 12.7mm ammunition, giving us the same cost advantage while maintaining a high level of quality.
We are building a line capable of producing 10 million rounds of 12.7mm a year, which would fulfil current UK opportunities while allowing capacity for potential future exports. The new line will also enable us to further increase output, if required, with additional production shifts.”
The company is working with the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) to design the new line, using the latest manufacturing technology to maximise efficiency and quality.
“We already work with the ARMC in our Air business, where it has developed a number of innovations that have been adopted to support aircraft manufacture. This includes an automated production system which enables robotic countersinking technology to accurately machine holes in composite aircraft components.
We have recently invested £83m to enhance its Radway Green manufacturing facility, enabling over one million 5.56mm and 7.62mm rounds to be produced each day.
These are tested by an automatic image capture and laser measuring machine, which takes thousands of accurate measurements of each round as it passes along the production line, helping to maintain a high quality output.”
A million rounds a day ? That is almost enough to satisfy the various US police departments 🙂
It is about 27000 rounds per day…
That is not enough for a single US police officer 😉
Quote: “We have recently invested £83m to enhance its Radway Green manufacturing facility, enabling over one million 5.56mm and 7.62mm rounds to be produced each day.”
or even the gangs in London, Birmingham and Nottingham where guns are banned.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-39578500
Guns are not banned in the UK…
Plus all the gangs in the UK put together do not spray ammunition like US Cops.
Plus all the gangs in the UK put together do not spray ammunition like US Cops Well if we are going to get all technical: Rise in deadly sub-machine guns on London streets Scotland Yard today said police are seizing more deadly automatic weapons from criminals in London as detectives revealed that an innocent bystander was gunned down with a suspected Skorpion sub-machine gun last month .Police believe two murders have been carried out by gangsters armed with the deadly military grade Skorpion weapons in the last eight months. Last month Oliver Tetlow, 27, died in a hail of bullets… Read more »
Ok, Now post all the gun related incidents involving US police… otherwise you are not getting technical at all.
Just a quick stat I found:
Fatalities related to guns (UK) in 2015-16 (the twelve months beginning in March) – 26
Murders by guns (US) in 2016 – 11,004
I think we’re at the other end of the scale, despite a very definite rise in recent years.
There where 2,544 gum crime offences in London between April 2016 and 2017. Criminals have easy access to guns they just aren’t their tool of choice for murder. Comparing gun deaths and excluding all other methods is a BS comparison to say the UK is now safer when the murder rate in London has now over taken NY. Our violent crime rate for knives, rape and acid is higher than the US. Also most us gun deaths are suicide some of which might be reduced but many would find alternative means as their suicide rate isn’t that different in comparison… Read more »
@Bb85
The London Murder rate has not overtaken New York. That is a debunked piece of information. London has a serious crime issue in some parts but it is still not the US.
Over 60% of gun deaths in the US are suicide. Removing guns would not lower that number (see Japan, South Korea, and the Nordic countries). Both justifiable and criminal homicide are counted in the remainder. Which means both police and citizen use of self defense. This counting of suicide and justified removal of the criminal element by gunshot. Is part of a dishonest narrative by people who cannot mind their own business to argue for the disarmament of law abiding citizens. The presence of an armed populace has many effects people do not take into account. For example in the… Read more »
@lee1 NY and London murder rate is at best neck and neck it still debunks the logic that banning guns stops violent crime, it just substitutes it for another method. I would never want to see US gun control in the UK but some form of licensing system for law abiding citizens to protect themselves and their family should be an inalienable right.
It says 1,000,000 rounds per day but must be a typo. Americans do go through it like crazy though. Some of the preopers over there hord 10 of thousands each and there’s thousands of them so 1,000,000 rounds doesn’t go as far as you would think.
That will save the MOD having to buy in 50 cal from Germany and anywhere else they can get it.
The RN at one point ( Many years ago) was using 50 cal from India. The amount of stoppages from misfires was huge hence a German manufacturer received a contract to produce it.
With 50s in use for Force Protection, Wildcat, and RMs thats a fair size market just there even before you start on Percy and the Crabs requirements.
Cheers.
An on topic response at last!!
I hope they make .338 Lapua Magnum rounds next.