BAE Systems has announced significant advances in the manufacturing of energetics and propellants that aim to boost the UK’s supply chain resilience and meet growing demand for critical munitions.
Since 2022, the company has invested over £150 million in its UK munitions facilities. This includes a new explosive filling facility in Glascoed, South Wales, which will enable a sixteen-fold increase in 155mm artillery shell production when it becomes operational this summer.
In addition, BAE Systems has spent £8.5 million over the past five years on developing novel manufacturing techniques. These include continuous flow processing methods for synthesising explosives—eliminating the need for globally scarce materials such as nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine.
A successful pilot has demonstrated the ability to produce explosives in modular “nodes”, reducing reliance on large-scale explosive plants. The new propellant formulation has been tested across a variety of calibres, from small arms to large artillery systems.
“Our leap forward in synthetic energetics and propellant manufacture will strengthen the UK’s supply chain resilience and support our ramp up of critical munitions production to meet growing demand in response to the increasingly uncertain world we’re living in,” said Steve Cardew, Business Development Director at BAE Systems’ Maritime and Land Defence Solutions.
The new technologies are designed to require lower capital investment, offer reduced operating costs, and enhance safety by minimizing the amount of explosive material in process at any given time.
BAE Systems remains the UK Ministry of Defence’s primary ammunition supplier, producing munitions from several sites across the country, including facilities in Cheshire, Monmouthshire, and Tyne and Wear.