Welsh munitions factory seen as crucial to boosting stockpiles is still yet to open | British army

A new factory in Wales vital to boosting munitions production in the UK did not open for more than six months after its planned launch, adding to a series of delays dogging the armed forces.

The explosives plant at Glascoed in south Wales was expected to increase Britain’s capacity to produce artillery shells by 16-fold, replenish dwindling stocks and increase supplies to Ukraine.

According to information obtained by the Guardian, production was due to start last summer but has not started yet.

Reached for comment, BAE Systems confirmed the delay, saying it was due to a decision made mid-construction in 2025 to double the amount of capacity at Glascoed.

BAE, Europe’s largest arms manufacturer, owns the factory, which is part of a large munitions complex in the region since 1940.

Ministers want to sharply increase Britain’s ability to produce explosives at home to reduce dependence on other countries for ammunition. The UAE previously imported RDX explosives used in artillery shells from the USA and France.

Donald Trump’s unpredictability on Ukraine and his threats to impose tariffs on NATO countries over Greenland have raised concerns about future reliance on US defense equipment.

BAE said Glascoed will greatly increase its production of 155mm artillery shells, delivering 16 times as many rounds by 2023. NATO standard bullets are generally fired from mobile field guns.

Defense analyst Francis Tusa said 155mm shells were “the basis of any army going into battle” so having the right stocks was “imperative”.

He said Glascoed’s failure to open on time was a blow to those plans and that the delays were “obviously very frustrating, particularly for the British military”.

The delay occurred as the government was indecisive about military spending. The defense investment plan, initially expected last autumn, has been repeatedly turned down amid warnings that the armed forces will face a £28bn funding gap over the next four years.

This has already suspended contracts for Britain’s next-generation fighter jet programme, known as Tempest, and new military helicopters. The pause in the latter has raised doubts about the future of 3,000 jobs in Yeovil, where Italian manufacturer Leonardo has a factory.

The Guardian understands that BAE was producing 3,000-5,000 of the 155mm shells a year; This means that even the promised “sixteen-fold” increase would only increase this number to 80,000 per year. By comparison, Germany’s largest arms manufacturer Rheinmetall opened a new factory last year that will allow the country to produce 1.1 million bullets by 2027.

Tusa said: “The UK’s lack of an increase in 155mm ammunition on the ground means that any army deployment to Eastern Europe or reinforcements to Estonia will now have sufficient 155mm ammunition.” [only] few days. Even with 64,000 bullets, they could fight for maybe a month.”

Asked about Glascoed in early February, Minister for Defense Preparedness and Industry Luke Pollard said: “When it comes to ‘exploding’ energy in our weapons systems, we need more of that… I want to see more munitions produced in the UK.”

BAE’s wider Glascoed explosive complex spans around 405 hectares (1000 acres) in Monmouthshire and employs around 870 people. Ammunition produced at another facility in Washington, in north-east England, is sent to Glascoed to be filled with explosives. The new site is not expected to create new jobs because it is mostly automated.

The factory is part of the defense company’s wider £150m investment in recent years into munitions sites covering Washington and Radway Green in Cheshire, which produce ammunition for small arms. Glascoed is the only project that has not yet been completed.

A BAE Systems spokesman said: “Our fully automatic ammunition facility is structurally complete and has entered the testing phase.

“Once construction began, we made a strategic decision to double production capacity beyond our original design to increase our 155mm production capacity by up to sixteen times, which had an impact on the schedule.

“This is a state-of-the-art facility and therefore it is crucial to take the necessary time to ensure the absolute precision and safety of our people. We also continue to supply ammunition through existing facilities.”

BAE declined to comment on when the factory would open.

Separately, the government said a further six new munitions factories would be built in the coming years, but did not yet give details of where they would be located.

A government spokesman said: “We do not comment on speculation about our munitions stockpiles that serve only for profit.” [Vladimir] Putin’s.

“We meet this new era of threats with the biggest sustained increase in defense spending since the cold war, including investing in building out the UK’s munitions production to increase the supplies of our armed forces.”

They added: “The continued development of the Glascoed facility has not affected our ability to provide Ukraine with the support it needs in its fight against Russia’s illegal occupation.”