UK restarts large-calibre weapon manufacturing after 20 years in defence push

LONDON, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Britain said on Thursday it has started to manufacture large-calibre weapons for the first time in two decades, as part of a plan to quickly boost domestic defence capacity due to a growing security threat.

• Rheinmetall UK, the British unit of the German arms manufacturer, has started to make barrels and breeches for both 120mm and 155mm weapon systems

• The production at its Telford gun hall in central England will support 100 highly skilled jobs, a government statement said

• Finance minister John Healey has said he wants the defence industry to help drive the reindustrialisation of Britain

• The previously empty site has reached full production in just eight months, the statement said, as the UK looks to build defence capacity at pace to counter the growing threat from Russia

• Some projects in the UK defence sector are facing delays, however, amid uncertainty about the timing of the country's move to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP, a key milestone on the path to meeting NATO's target of 3.5% by 2035

• The opening of the Telford gun hall comes after the UK and Germany signed a new defence co-operation agreement in 2024

(Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)