MOD award BAE Systems 20 Million Pound Ammunition Contract
The Ministry of Defence have placed a new £20 million pound contract to BAE Systems to supply the British armed forces with small arms ammunition over the next 2 years. 5.56mm and 7.62mm rounds will be produced at Radway Green, at BAE’s state of the art manufacturing facility in Staffordshire. The deal comes in the wake of a £410 million deal between the MOD and BAE struck earlier this year. With the MOD exercising their option to increase a 280 million supply contract in July.
The contact is to create 200 new jobs for the North of England and Wales, adding to BAE’s 1,200 UK wide workforce. Glynn Plant, Managing director for BAE Systems commented on the new deal:
‘We are proud to support the UK MOD as a strategic partner for munitions supply. The significant orders we have secured throughout the year has seen our teams increasing production rates, investing in people and new facilities and maximising shift patterns to meet this enhanced demand.’
Christopher Cutts, Director of Weapons for DE&S (Department Equipment Support) said:
‘As we continue to help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion, it is crucial we not only replenish the UK’s weapons and ammunition stocks but also increase operational stockpiles so that our armed forces can protect our nation and our allies…These orders will significantly increase BAE Systems’ production capacity and secure increased sovereign capacity for ammunition for years to come’
The ammunition deal follows the news of over 30,000 Ukrainian troops have been trained in the UK since the war in Ukraine started in 2022. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps commented on the deal and the need for added support for UK armed forces in todays current climate:
‘In an increasingly contested world, it is crucial that our forces are equipped to meet the threats of the future. Through contracts like these, with the best of some of our homegrown industry, we are continuing to ensure that we replenish and equip our forces, supporting jobs right across the UK.’