Britain Opens First Domestic Gun Barrel Factory in Two Decades

A £60 million gun-barrel production plant, dubbed the UK Gun Hall, has been inaugurated in Telford. Operated by German defence firm Rheinmetall, the 11,500-square-metre facility will manufacture up to 245 large-calibre gun barrels and 50 breech blocks annually for the British Army’s Challenger 3 main battle tank and the RCH 155 self-propelled howitzer. Production staff of roughly 35 will work with steel forged in Sheffield, while Rheinmetall employs 685 people across its four UK sites.

Britain opens first gun barrel factory in 20 years as it steps up rearmament

The plant ends a 20-year reliance on overseas suppliers for large-calibre barrels, a gap highlighted by the high-intensity artillery exchanges in the Russia-Ukraine war. The conflict has underscored the continued importance of tanks and artillery despite the rise of drones, prompting the UK government to accelerate re-armament plans and rebuild domestic defence industrial capacity.

Britain opens first gun barrel factory in 20 years as it steps up rearmament

Each eight-metre, 155 mm barrel requires about 220 hours of machining, with internal tolerances limited to 30 microns—approximately half a human hair’s width. Rheinmetall notes a typical 155 mm barrel endures roughly 2,500 rounds before replacement, while the 120 mm tank barrels are rated for about 1,500 rounds. The facility is designed for rapid scaling; the CEO says output could rise to 500-1,000 barrels per week if 15-shift operations were implemented.

Britain opens first gun barrel factory in 20 years as it steps up rearmament

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting described the opening as “rapid reindustrialisation” that returns Britain to domestic weapons production. Rheinmetall’s chief executive highlighted the plant’s flexibility to expand output quickly should the British military be deployed.

Britain opens first gun barrel factory in 20 years as it steps up rearmament

• “Modern warfare consumes equipment and ammunition at extraordinary rates,” — Gen Sir Roly

Britain opens first gun barrel factory in 20 years as it steps up rearmament

• “Britain is back in the business of making the weapons that our Armed Forces need to defend the nation against our adversaries,” — Mr Streeting, defence secretary

Britain opens first gun barrel factory in 20 years as it steps up rearmament

• “If you see what we produce here, it's a huge capacity,” — Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger

Britain opens first gun barrel factory in 20 years as it steps up rearmament