The first British-made artillery barrels in almost two decades have been delivered to Ukraine, produced at Sheffield Forgemasters under a £61 million contract awarded to BAE Systems and supporting hundreds of skilled jobs across South Yorkshire and the wider UK supply chain.
The 105mm and 155mm gun barrels are being manufactured at the MOD-owned Sheffield site, with production currently running at eight forgings per month. The first four barrels have already been shipped to Ukraine as development forgings, enabling Ukrainian forces to test their own manufacturing and integration processes, with full production deliveries following.
The milestone marks the return of forged artillery barrel production to the UK for the first time in nearly twenty years, and Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis MBE MP visited Sheffield Forgemasters to mark the occasion and meet the skilled workforce behind the programme.
Sheffield as the Home of UK Howitzer Production
The Forgemasters programme sits alongside BAE Systems’ new £25 million artillery factory in Sheffield, which became operational earlier this year and has created a further 100 highly skilled jobs in the region. Together, the two facilities cement Sheffield’s position as the centre of UK howitzer production and represent a tangible example of the Defence Investment Plan’s ambition to rearm Europe by reindustrialising communities across the UK.
Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said: “Steel forged in Sheffield defended Britain in its darkest hours. The barrels produced here in South Yorkshire, the first made in Britain in almost two decades, will help Ukraine on the battlefield, while creating good, skilled jobs in the UK. Our Defence Investment Plan backed by £298 billion is delivering greater national security for our nation and our allies, and opportunities for people across the UK. This is about rearming Europe by reindustrialising places like South Yorkshire.”
Sheffield Forgemasters and the £1.3 Billion Recapitalisation
Sheffield Forgemasters employs 780 skilled staff and manufactures specialist steel forgings and castings used across critical defence programmes, as well as civil nuclear and offshore energy sectors. The company is currently building a new 13,000 tonne forging line and a 30,000 square metre machining hall as part of a MOD-funded £1.3 billion recapitalisation programme, significantly expanding its capacity to support UK defence programmes for decades to come.
The government invested over £420 million of additional funding in Sheffield Forgemasters last year alone, bolstering sovereign steelmaking capability across gun barrels, nuclear submarine components, and other critical defence applications.
Supply Chain Impact
More than 60 businesses across the UK supply chain stand to benefit from the artillery barrel programme, extending the economic impact well beyond Sheffield. The contract is a strong illustration of how major defence programmes generate Tier 2 and Tier 3 supply chain activity across the country, with skilled manufacturing, materials, and specialist services all drawn in to support delivery.
For the UK supply chain, the programme also signals a broader and strategically important trend. The return of domestic artillery barrel production is part of a wider shift toward sovereign industrial capability in areas that had been allowed to atrophy over the post-Cold War decades. As the UK and its NATO allies grapple with the demands of sustained support to Ukraine and their own rearmament programmes, the ability to produce critical munitions and components at home is becoming a strategic priority rather than a commercial preference.
The barrels are produced in Yorkshire before being sent to Ukraine for finishing and integration, a model that supports Ukrainian industrial capability while keeping high-value manufacturing work and employment in the UK.
Image: BAE Systems
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Post written by: Vicky Maggiani
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