A new £25m howitzer factory in Sheffield will become the home of Britain’s defence manufacturing push as the country prepares for a weapons spending blitz.

On Thursday, the Government said the state-of-the-art site, run by BAE Systems, will become the hub of Britain’s defence manufacturing push after it opened this week to initially increase production of M777 towed howitzers.

BAE’s revamped facility, which has created 200 new jobs, has been hailed as a crucial part of UK efforts to support Ukrainian forces in their battle against Russia.

Revived demand for arms during the Ukraine conflict prompted BAE to announce it was reopening the Sheffield facility, reversing its decision in 2023 to wind down production of the M777 howitzers in the UK.

Kyiv has previously received several M777 howitzers, which are able to hit targets up to 30km away and are lightweight for artillery at 4.5 tonnes. However, many of those are in need of refurbishment or repair.