Rheinmetall Confirms Location for New UK Barrel Plant

German defense giant Rheinmetall has chosen the location for a new barrel production plant in the United Kingdom.

This was announced on the company’s official website.

The new barrel production facility will be located in the town of Telford, England, and will be built as part of a strategic partnership with the UK Ministry of Defence under the Trinity House Agreement.

The new plant, known as Gun Hall, will launch production of artillery and tank barrels by 2027, restoring the United Kingdom’s capability to manufacture large-caliber barrels — a capacity that had been lost since 2016.

The project is expected to create over 400 jobs and contribute more than £400 million to the UK economy over the next decade.

The facility will use British steel and advanced manufacturing technologies to produce barrels for artillery systems such as the RCH 155 and tanks, including the Challenger 3.

In addition to the plant being funded by Germany’s Rheinmetall, the UK is also independently restoring its manufacturing capabilities. The UK Ministry of Defence has found a way to resume the production of artillery barrels at the facilities of Sheffield Forgemasters.

First and foremost, production will be restored for 155mm and 105mm artillery barrels for AS-90 self-propelled howitzers and L119 towed howitzers.

It is worth noting that the German defense sector is making significant investments in the production of a substantial portion of defense equipment on UK soil.

One of the successful investments has been the establishment of production for Boxer armored personnel carriers, which were also ordered by the British Army, as well as the purchase of RCH 155 wheeled artillery systems by the UK.

The United Kingdom is expected to manufacture the chassis and guns for the artillery systems domestically, while Germany will be responsible for producing the unmanned artillery module.

This cooperation is expected to help the UK gradually emerge from the current decline of its defense industry, much of which has been relocated abroad due to a lack of orders from the British Armed Forces.