BAE Systems says it’s about to radically increase its production of 155mm shells, leaning on advances in how it produces munitions.
The UK defense contractor said its new production methods are a “major breakthrough” that will allow it to reach a sixteenfold increase in 155mm shell manufacturing by the summer.
As a result, it says it will not only be able to meet the UK’s demand, but will also begin to supply for export by the end of 2026.
The announcement comes amid ongoing anxiety about the UK’s stockpiles of key ammunition, having sent Ukraine half a million artillery rounds as of February this year.
It also appears to address a wider global scramble toward reducing dependence on imports and having homegrown access to critical resources and manufacturing capabilities.
BAE Systems’ new approach is twofold, affecting the production of both explosives and propellants for shells.
A new formulation for propellants has been developed, it said, reducing the need for nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin, compounds that are in high demand across multiple industries worldwide.
Meanwhile, RDX explosives — the key explosive in 155mm shells — are to be produced through continuous flow processing, a method that’s common in manufacturing but has not yet been applied in defense.
It essentially means that shells are made in an uninterrupted process at smaller scale, rather than in large batches, an approach that, in other industries, has resulted in much greater efficiency.
BAE Systems has until now been reliant on the US and France for its supply of RDX.
Trevor Taylor, director of the Defence, Industries & Society Programme at the Royal United Services Institute, outlined the advantages of the new process.
A small-scale process avoids safety risks associated with a single large production plant, Taylor told BI.
He added that the company’s ambition is likely to be “to control costs at lower production rates, and to be able to surge production levels by operating more hours when needed without a large labor force that would be idle in less pressing times.”
A senior BAE Systems executive with knowledge of the developments told BI that the company plans to sell the technology abroad, promoting other countries’ ability to develop sovereign ammunition production.
BAE Systems, like other British defense companies, works in line with the UK Ministry of Defence’s priorities and does not sell to the UK’s adversaries — meaning that the new system is not likely to end up in Russian hands anytime soon.
The company is the UK’s largest defense manufacturer. It won a £2.4 billion ($3.2 billion) government munitions contract in 2020, which was ramped up in 2023 in recognition of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The company says it’s invested £163.5 million, or about $220 million, in new manufacturing sites and tech over the last five years.
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