Glascoed: £32m investment for BAE munitions site

BAE's current contract to supply the UK's armed forces expires in 2022

A munitions manufacturing site is to receive a £32m upgrade as part of a £2.4bn UK-wide contract to supply the armed forces.

BAE Systems at Glascoed, Monmouthshire, said the money would help secure 555 jobs over 15 years at the site.

The money will refurbish and upgrade current manufacturing lines making ammunition, mortars, medium and large calibre artillery and tank shells.

More than 200 apprentices and graduates will be recruited during the period.

The company will offer a degree apprenticeship at Swansea University.

The UK Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said: "This vital multibillion-pound contract will provide our service men and women with fire power on the front line for years to come whilst investing in British industry, British jobs and British infrastructure.

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"Defence underpins hundreds of thousands of jobs across all four corners of the nation, including South Wales.

"Ongoing investment is crucial as we work together to build back better and stronger from the Covid-19 pandemic."

The project, called the next generation munitions solution, will cover about 1,260 people working at sites across the UK in addition to Glascoed, in Radway Green, Cheshire, Washington, Tyne and Wear, Bishopton, near Glasgow, and Risdale in Northumberland.

The new agreement to supply munitions to the UK's armed forces replaces BAE's current one, which ends in 2022.

Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart said: "Defence is a key industry in Wales and this deal, which will help secure more than 550 jobs, will continue to support this vital sector well into the future.

"Alongside this investment, I'm delighted to see the partnership created with Swansea University which will provide opportunities for hundreds of young people as we build back from the uncertainty created by the pandemic."