13 counties to gain jobs from new munitions factories | UK | News
Britain is preparing to mass produce explosives for the first time in a generation, as the government faces fresh calls to end its dependence on the US military. The Ministry of Defense has identified at least 13 sites for potential munitions and “energy” factories across the UK.
According to The Times, these factories will produce high explosives, rocket fuels and ignition systems on a scale suitable for use on the front line. Defense Secretary John Healey is expected to announce a plan to create an “always on” ammunition pipeline in his speech in Westminster on Wednesday morning, Reuters reports.
Details of the move were shared on the day parliament’s defense committee warned that Britain could not defend itself against attack due to years of underinvestment in defense and dependence on US firepower, equipment and intelligence.
MPs call for rapid replacement of American military systems used by British forces
In a report, a cross-party group of MPs called on the government to quickly replace American military systems used by British forces. They said it was “highly likely” that the US would withdraw personnel and equipment from Europe due to President Trump’s “changing priorities”, which would leave NATO allies “vulnerable”.
Ammunition facilities that will increase Britain’s war readiness
Healey is expected to say on Wednesday that the munitions installations will boost Britain’s war readiness and ensure there is no return to the “drained and underfunded” military of the past. The defense industry has been invited to submit proposals to produce explosives, including military pyrotechnics, in what Healey described as “factories of the future”.
According to the Ministry of Defense, construction of the first of the sites is expected to start next year and will strengthen the British and Ukrainian arsenals. Winning defense firms will need to comply with specific government requirements and will be required to produce nine energetic materials that rapidly release large amounts of chemical energy, identified as key to the UK’s resilience.
Potential locations for sites across the UK
The 13 counties that could host the facilities include Cumbria, Dumfriesshire, Ayrshire, Shropshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Essex, Worcestershire, Hampshire, Pembrokeshire and Stirlingshire.
“For too long we have seen jobs disappear from our proud industrial centers and never come back… This is a fundamental shift from the failed approach of the past,” Healey will say in his announcement.
UK will increase production of RDX explosives
The Times announced in April that Britain would significantly increase its ability to produce RDX explosives, which are used in 155mm projectiles for British Army guns and other weapons. Shipping containers are being erected at defense installations in the UK, so it no longer needs to depend on the US and France for NATO-standard artillery ammunition.
UK defense company BAE Systems was also considering building three new sites to give the project “resilience” in case one site was attacked.
Defense committee warns of critical capability gaps due to US withdrawal
But the House of Commons defense committee also made warnings beyond ammunition in its report. According to the group, the reduction in US support to NATO allies could create critical capability gaps in intelligence, satellite surveillance, troop transportation and target detection.
Defense committee chairman Tan Dhesi said that in the face of Russia’s increasing aggression, Britain and its NATO allies “continue to rely on US protection and underinvest in their own defence”.
