Work is under way to complete BAE Systems' new artillery facility in Sheffield. (BAE Systems)
BAE Systems is building a new artillery development and production facility in Sheffield in the UK. The 94,000 sq ft (8,730 sq m) facility will produce 155 mm M777 lightweight towed howitzers and support the British government's effort to revitalise its artillery capability, according to a BAE Systems statement on 15 November.
The facility will bring production of the howitzer back to the UK after it was wound down due to a lack of demand, John Borton, vice-president and general manager for BAE Systems Weapon Systems UK, told Janes on 22 November. The production facility in Barrow-in-Furness was shut down, but engineering and support personnel for the Weapon Systems UK business remained, he continued.
It is being funded with investments of more than GBP25 million (USD31.5 million), according to the BAE Systems statement. This includes funding from BAE Systems and the US Army, Borton told Janes.
US Army contract
The impetus for the Sheffield facility is an undefinitised contract action (UCA), worth up to USD50 million, signed with the US Army in January 2024 for major structures for the M777. The contract action enables BAE Systems to start work while the full contract is finalised. The site is expected to become operational in 2025, the statement said.
“You'll get that back into production in support of the conflict in Ukraine, to support the armed forces,” Borton said. That contract meant that BAE Systems had to re-establish that production capability for “three major structures, which basically form the core of the chassis of the gun”, he explained. Previously, two structures were built by BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness and the third in the US supply chain, Borton noted.
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