MOD invests £20m to restock dwindling supplies of rifle and machine gun ammunition

The Ministry of Defence has placed a new £20m order with BAE Systems for the re-supply of additional small arms munitions over the next two years as stocks get depleted, largely due to the war in Ukraine.

The news comes in the wake of a warning by MPs that the UK's ammunition stockpiles were at "dangerously low" levels because so many rounds had been sent to assist the Ukrainian armed forces.

The latest order of 5.56mm and 7.62mm rounds, which are fired by the SA80/L85 A3 rifle, the new KS-1 and the General Purpose Machine Gun, will be produced at Radway Green, BAE Systems' state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.

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Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum in October, the BBC quoted Admiral Rob Bauer of the Royal Netherlands Navy, Nato's most senior military official, as saying "the bottom of the barrel is now visible".

He said governments and defence manufacturers had to "ramp up production in a much higher tempo".

Glynn Plant, the managing director of munitions at BAE Systems, said of the deal: "We are proud to support the UK MOD as a strategic partner for munitions supply.

"The significant orders we have secured throughout the year has seen our teams increasing production rates, investing in people and new facilities, and maximising shift patterns to meet this enhanced demand."

The announcement follows the signing of a £410m order for the supply of vital battlefield munitions to the MOD in September when it exercised an option to increase a £280m supply order that had been announced in July.

"In an increasingly contested world, it is crucial that our forces are equipped to meet the threats of the future," said Defence Secretary Grant Shapps.

"Through contracts like these, with the best of some of our homegrown industry, we are continuing to ensure that we replenish and equip our forces, supporting jobs right across the UK."

It is thought this latest ammunition order will create more than 200 new jobs in the north of England and South Wales, increasing the company's 1,200-strong UK munitions workforce.