Britain plans at least six new weapons factories in defence review

1/6/2025 6:24

Britain will build at least six new factories producing weapons and explosives as part of a major review of its defence capabilities, the government said on Saturday.



The 1.5 billion-pound ($2.0 billion) investment will be included in the Strategic Defence Review, a 10-year plan for military equipment and services. The SDR is expected to be published on Monday.



The Ministry of Defence added that it planned to procure up to 7,000 long-range weapons built in Britain. Together, the measures announced on Saturday will create around 1,800 jobs, the MoD said.



"The hard-fought lessons from (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine show a military is only as strong as the industry that stands behind them," Defence Secretary John Healey said in a statement.