The government has entered the next phase of its plan to restore domestic munitions and energetics production, naming 13 locations across the UK as potential sites for new factories intended to boost long term warfighting readiness.
In a speech in Westminster, Defence Secretary John Healey will say the MOD has commissioned engineering design work for the first facility and funded feasibility studies across the wider programme. He will commit to “building the factories of the future in Britain” and says construction on the first energetics plant is expected to begin “in the next year.”
The announcement forms part of the Strategic Defence Review’s £1.5 billion uplift for energetics and munitions. The MOD says the new factories will restore high volume production for the first time in nearly two decades, covering key components such as propellants, explosives and pyrotechnics. Healey will argue that this effort reflects a “new era of threat” and a shift toward sustained industrial readiness.
UK still weighing sites for new ‘always on’ munitions plants
The department has now identified potential sites in Monmouthshire, Cumbria, Dumfriesshire, Ayrshire, Shropshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Essex, Worcestershire, Hampshire, Pembrokeshire and Stirlingshire, with earlier options also listed in Grangemouth, Teesside and Milford Haven. A Planned Procurement Note published today sets out the MOD’s requirements and invites industry proposals linked to nine priority energetic materials.
Healey will say the programme is intended to create “at least 1,000 new jobs” and return energetics manufacturing to the UK after years of overseas dependence. The government also highlights two new drone production facilities opening this week, Helsing’s site in Plymouth and a STARK line in Swindon, as examples of wider defence industrial growth.
Although the MOD has identified 13 potential locations, the department has not clarified how far each site has progressed through technical vetting. A list of potential sites makes for a strong headline because it suggests momentum and geographic reach, and it gives the impression of a coordinated national plan. The substance is thinner at this stage.
The announcement signals direction rather than delivery, and the details that matter for understanding feasibility remain out of view. That does not make the initiative insignificant, but it does mean the headline weight exceeds the certainty behind it.
All very well in theory,it’s just we will still have nothing to use the ammo with!
I like the new look of the UKDJ page layout George, though thought the original was fine as well.
Noted that the style of the reports is different as well.
Interesting how all these sites, bar “Hampshire” is away from the South East, and even Hampshire could be considered that.
Echoes of moving production away from German forces in WW2, which to me implies using existing legacy sites again.
If the King would give his blessing we could call these new ordnance factories, Royal Ordnance Factories. I think it has a nice ring to it.
just like flares they come back into fashion again, Royal Ordinance Factory has a nice ring to it 🤣
That does have a nice ring to it actually.
They should never have been sold off. The usual self harm by HMG.
I like the layout too, though it’s a little difficult to use from a phone.
What do you think the style change is? I notice that this report is much more critical than George’s usual fare, but the other articles from today look very similar.
Hi M8 I know you don’t think much of Industry and MOD procurement is a bit of a bad joke, maybe not !
Like you my first thoughts were also about the legacy sites, and here in Derbyshire there are 2 that come to mind but I don’t see either as viable. One is former RAF Harpers Hill near Buxton which was one of the WW2 RAF deep Bomb stores but is now the Headquarters of a H&S executive 🤷🏼♂️ that could be interesting !
The other is RAF Fauld which was another deep bomb store but is an absolute no no (Google it and you’ll see why). All I’ll add is there is a pub a few miles away where you can see the outline on the repaired roof from when a dead cow went through in 1944 !
Then I read Gabriele Molinelli’s bit on X and followed his link to the HMG Contracts site which was MOD guff as it reads as if they want interested parties to do a 15 minute pitch for some MOD investment but then there is no guaranteed workload / income and MOD will not provide long term funding, which on the face of it is quite bizarre as no one would set up anything from scratch on that basis.
I then re read it and realised it’s a pretty damn impressive bit of lateral thinking, in an industrial environment it’s called leverage on existing capability.
If you know you need to have a resilient U.K. Sovereign capacity to manufacture munitions that means making explosives. But you don’t need much in peacetime, can’t afford to fund a part time industry (which why they sold the ROC off). You need to get creative to ensure capacity exists is sustainable long term but is used when you need it and can supply in quantity.
I think MOD Procurement may have really thought this through and rather than resurrecting old remote facilities or building new and being stuck with the bill to maintain them just in case they are using common sense.
If you identify businesses that already have experience of running viable businesses in a related field, leverage that and invest in them having a latent ability to provide what you want, when you need it as an add on to the existing business it’s a Bloody winner.
Which now makes perfect sense about Derbyshire !
I remembered we have WESCOM down the road near Draycott and they are a market leader in Military / Marine Pyrotechnics and Minefield Breaching systems using explosives (which they make and use).
All it is is getting existing industry onboard and investing so they have the ability to switch to another product line when needed (and it’s rather profitable).
Hi mate.
Indeed, I think UK industry generally is out to milk the taxpayer for all it can get, and HMG are fully in support in them in that regard, leaving sod all for the conventional military when Chagos, DNE, Pensions, Afghans, Ukraine money and soon the SIA is added on top.
How much of an order book did BAES have the other day? 24 Billion or something? Half of our Defence budget.
They want profit, nothing else, the patriotic statements are window dressing. That applies to the Execs, I don’t accuse the workforce of such, they need to make a living.
I’m well aware of both Harpers Hill and the old RAF Fauld, and the crater and bang. Harpers is also the H&E testing site, has bunkers too.
Poor Cow, hopefully she died instantly.
So….we are talking of existing factories being able to switch production rather than looking for a location for a new build site.
What about the “always on” bit….? Ahhh, there is the catch!? Of 12 “new” factories, only one or two might have switched at any one time?
Yet again, spin and Grandstanding from HMG, their press release sounded like NEW factories.
But yes, mate, don’t mean to be downbeat, I get your reasoning and seems OK.
And elsewhere on his feed, reporting we have now lost any Ammonia production capability, as well as production of Polyethylene, using ethylene, now Exxon mobile are closing their factory in Mossmorran.
And HMG have an industrial resilience strategy?
Steel? Aluminium? What else is going?
China? I mean the MOD seems to think that buying Chinese is fine these days…. Cap badges, parts for tanks and other vehicles .. soldiers warned not to speak for the microphones as transmitters…. Come on, even those cap badges, how thoroughly are they checked in light if Israel’s exploding phones? The cap badges are metal and tight on the head. We should not be buying any military equipment abroad, any of it.
This is a joke right ? Can electric arc furnaces produce the grade of steel the military need.?