Sheffield Forgemasters’ could start making artillery gun barrels in the UK after 20 years in the wake of a visit too Sheffield Forgemasters by the senior army official responsible for supplies including weapons and helicopters, .
Lt Gen Simon Hamilton has seen Forgemasters’ existing and potential future unique capabilities which could support the Land Industrial Strategy.
He said: “The visit provided real insight into a vital manufacturing facility that supports the Defence Nuclear Enterprise and a better understanding of manufacturing capabilities that could increase UK content resilience and prosperity in the Land Domain in the future.”
Sheffield Forgemasters has the only deep, vertical heat-treatment system in the UK, which is an essential capability for processing long gun barrels.
Gary Nutter, CEO at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “We were honoured to host Lieutenant General Hamilton for a visit of our site, so that he could see at first hand how our many years of expertise and facilities that do not exist elsewhere in the UK, are key assets for UK gun barrels manufacture.
“There will be a certain amount of recommissioning to specific elements of the plant in order to restart gun barrels manufacture, but the opportunity to reinstate a sovereign capability for this type of production is a great accolade for the city.”
Sheffield Forgemasters has a long history of providing armaments to the UK military, including cannon, artillery and naval guns, primarily through its Vickers predecessor and supporting both world wars, but has not manufactured gun barrels for more than 20 years.
