BAE Systems to Boost U.K. Shell Production Sixteenfold With New Facility

BAE Systems says it will increase production capacity for 155mm artillery shells by sixteen times once a new explosive filling facility at Glascoed in South Wales becomes operational this summer.

The development is part of over £150 million invested by the company in its U.K. munitions facilities since 2022, intended to strengthen supply chain resilience for the U.K. Ministry of Defence and allied nations.

In parallel, BAE Systems has spent £8.5 million over five years on novel manufacturing methods that remove the need for nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine in propellant production—chemicals in high demand worldwide. These methods use continuous flow processing to create explosive materials, which the company says will reduce operational costs and improve safety.

A pilot project has already demonstrated the new technologies, producing explosives in small nodes instead of large factories. The process has been validated across a range of ammunition types from small arms to large-calibre shells.

BAE Systems expects to meet both domestic and export demands for explosives and propellants by the end of 2026. The company is the U.K. Ministry of Defence’s main ammunition supplier, with production sites in Cheshire, Monmouthshire, and Tyne and Wear.