The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has confirmed that contracts with Sheffield Forgemasters for artillery gun barrel forgings have been finalised, signalling the beginning of a larger effort to enhance Ukraine’s capabilities.
While Ukraine has secured access to £3.5 billion in UK export finance, allowing for the purchase of British military aid, this does not represent a commitment to spend the full amount immediately, but rather provides the flexibility to meet Ukraine’s military needs over time.
According to the MOD’s announcement, these contracts are part of ongoing measures to ensure the readiness of UK industry to meet future orders, supporting Ukraine’s military needs in its ongoing conflict.
A recent UK trade mission, involving representatives from the MOD, Department for Business and Trade, and the defence trade association ADS, visited Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian Government and industry officials. The mission is part of the deepening ties between the UK and Ukraine’s defence industries, following a major agreement signed in July that secured £3.5 billion in UK export finance to enable Ukraine to purchase advanced capabilities.
The mission was led by the UK’s Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard MP, who participated in discussions at the Ukraine Defence Industrial Forum. The forum provided a platform for the UK to reaffirm its commitment to supplying Ukraine with much-needed military aid. Pollard highlighted the UK’s “steadfast support for Ukraine” and the ongoing efforts to expand industrial cooperation. He stressed that “our support is much broader than simply providing equipment,” underscoring the collaborative efforts of both nations to ensure Ukraine’s long-term defence needs are met.
The MOD announced that agreements were made during the trade mission regarding Ukraine’s requirements for complex weapons and land systems support, providing a clear signal to UK industry about the types of equipment the Ukrainian forces will need in the future. The MOD is now preparing to contract with UK defence companies to fulfil these requests.
Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard MP said:
“The UK’s support for Ukraine is ironclad. We continue to lead the way in providing military aid, but our support is much broader than simply providing equipment. Our flourishing defence industrial relationship symbolises the work happening across Government and the private sector to ramp up and speed up our support.
By deepening our ties with Ukraine’s defence industry, we are expanding own industrial capacity, while boosting Ukraine’s own capabilities. We stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, and we will provide support for as long as it takes.”
Additionally, Task Force HIRST, a UK cross-government team that includes MOD, UK Export Finance, and the Department for Business and Trade, has been working to stimulate industrial production and foster international collaboration with Ukrainian companies. The goal is to ensure that UK defence manufacturers are fully prepared to meet Ukraine’s evolving military requirements, with future orders funded through Ukraine’s reserves and the export finance provided by the UK.
This commitment follows the UK Government’s recent success in surpassing its pledge to deliver 12 AS90 artillery guns within 100 days. To date, 10 have been provided, with an additional six to follow soon, demonstrating the UK’s ability to accelerate its support for Ukraine’s war effort.
The contracts with Sheffield Forgemasters and other UK defence firms are crucial to the UK’s overall effort to boost Ukraine’s defence capabilities and strengthen the UK’s industrial capacity. As Pollard stated, “We stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, and we will provide support for as long as it takes.”
Any updates on the patrol boats they wanted? Recall 1 was to be built by Babcock with the others constructed under licence.
I think the unfortunate truth is Ukraine isn’t really in the naval market at the moment, so probably kicked into the long grass.
Well in reality, Ukraine has not purchased the weapons. British taxpayers have. Seems a pity that in the meantime, the British Government prepares for more defence cuts.
The headline is misleading. It suggests that UKR is to spend £3.5Bn of its own money on British armaments. Your interpretation is that they can order this amount of kit with HMG picking up the tab. The absolute sting in the tail is if the hit is taken by the MoD budget when it shouldn’t be.
The one positive is that this kind of thing boosts volume weapons manufacturing.
I agree if the MoD budget is being pillaged for this rather than Treasury Reserve that is a very big problem.
I would imagine this would not be MOD budget as it’s essentially a state on state finance package..which would be foreign office.
It’s state on state financing, with fixed requirement to spend it on the financing state’s product..essentially its a loan.
Will this come from an extra stream or be taken from the defence budget.
Hmmm…article references HMG’s success in addressing and even exceeding pledge to provide UKR 12 AS-90 SPGs w/in 100 days. Although an admirable gesture, perhaps one that is somewhat premature, before finalization of a plan and schedule for acquisition of a replacement capability (in addition to the purchase of interim Archers)? Not certain NATO or UK has achieved a net positive result by stripping British Army of a capability for an indeterminate period. 🤔😳
I do subscribe to the view that every tank we subcontract Zelenski and Co to destroy is one that British Troops never have to face.
However, I would have liked to have seen firm orders placed prior.
I think there are quite a few AS90’s about that are not allocated so provided it is ones that have been fixed up it may not impact front line?
Graham Moore is better placed on this.
So now that Ukraine has stimulated us into rebuilding our industrial capability to forge gun barrels we can confidently expect to see the new tracked SPG to be ……..Braveheart 😂
Great news for Sheffield Forgemaster.
The UK government now just to give the go ahead with Rolls Royce for the SMR’s to help with the energy generation.
I’m not holding my breath 😓 And no I’m not going into details as to why as I have my BP to think of.
That way Sheffield Forgemasters would be competitive even in Millibrain’s world.
I actually don’t give a Monkeys how we fund this, as long as it doesn’t come out of the U.K. defence budget. It regenerates a capacity we need and if it helps Ukraine fire things that go bang that reduces the number of potential enemies we may have to face then quite happy.
What actually impresses me is there is another glimmer of hope that HMG is letting industry and finance sort out the solutions,
More Archer SPGs being ordered to replace the donated AS90s?
These additional 16 donated AS90s are biting into the army’s artillery capability.
The replacement is going to be the RCH155, which is a Sunak decision not an army decision.
The big question with that is when they’ll get built, as there are already over 600 other Boxer variants on order and the build rate is only circa 60 per year.
If the AS90s come out of British Army stock,this is a major capability gap that doesn’t look like being filled quickly.
You assume one positive is the AS90 must be performing well in Ukraine. Otherwise they wouldn’t be requesting more.
UK export finance while we cant even finance our own shipyards to build the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) program. Absolute disgrace.