The British Ministry of Defence found a way to resume the production of gun barrels.

The minister said that the British company Sheffield Forgemasters would help with this.

Sheffield Forgemasters is capable of producing the largest and most technically sophisticated cast and forged steel parts in the world.

“This is the first step towards UK sovereign barrel production,” the defense ministry said.

Gun barrels will be designed primarily to support Ukrainian artillery systems.

It’s about AS-90 155-mm self-propelled artillery and L119 105-mm towed howitzers.

“UK industry support of this kind will enable the Ukrainian Armed Forces to maintain vital equipment, such as L119 Light Guns and the AS90 self-propelled gun,” the defense ministry said.

In early July, the United Kingdom announced that it would transfer new barrels to Ukraine for self-propelled howitzers AS-90 as part of military assistance.

AS-90 is equipped with a L31A1 155-mm gun with a 39 calibers barrel length manufactured by BAE Systems Global Combat Systems.

The gun has a dual-chamber muzzle brake, ejector and an integrated magazine for 12 primers.

In June, it became known that BAE Systems was no longer able to produce barrels for these artillery systems.

Great Britain found itself in a situation where part of its strategically important defense capabilities stopped during the so-called “world disarmament” after the Cold War.