Sheffield-made artillery barrels sent to Ukraine

Artillery barrels forged in Sheffield are being delivered to Ukraine to support Kyiv's fight against Russia.

Steel company Sheffield Forgemasters has already delivered four barrels to Ukraine out of a planned 150, under a £61m deal announced last year.

It is the first time in almost 20 years that forged artillery barrels have been produced in the UK.

On a tour of the plant on Wednesday, Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said: "Steel forged in Sheffield defended Britain in its darkest hours.

"The barrels produced here in South Yorkshire – the first made in Britain in almost two decades – will help Ukraine on the battlefield, while creating good, skilled jobs in the UK."

The barrels have been produced by Forgemasters and the nearby BAE Systems artillery factory, opened in Sheffield last year by Jarvis's predecessor, John Healey.

Under the contract agreed last year, the two companies will produce 105mm and 155mm barrels for integration with Ukrainian artillery.

Sheffield is now producing eight barrels a month, and the first four have already been shipped, and are expected to help Ukraine test its own manufacturing facilities.

Production of British-made artillery barrels comes as the UK and its European allies attempt to increase their ability to manufacture weapons domestically in the face of continued threats from Russia.

Jarvis said production of the barrels was about "rearming Europe by reindustrialising places like South Yorkshire".

Forgemasters was nationalised in 2021, with the Ministry of Defence saying the purchase was necessary to secure "critical" British defence programmes.

Last year, the government pledged to invest more than £420m in the company to support its defence manufacturing programmes.

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