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Written question asked by James McMurdock (Independent (affiliation)) on Friday, 29 May 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 2 June 2026. It was answered by Luke Pollard (Labour) on Wednesday, 17 June 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Artillery: Procurement

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Next-generation remote controlled artillery systems to transform British Army, published on 13 May 2026, what proportion of steel used in the RCH 155 programme will be sourced from UK suppliers.

Answer

It is currently too early to specify the exact proportion of British steel that will be used in the Remote-Controlled Howitzer 155mm (RCH 155) programme. However, approximately 15% of the RCH 155 platform – predominantly the weapon system, which includes the barrel, breech, and recoil system – will be manufactured in the UK, with the intention that it will be made using British steel supplied by Sheffield Forgemasters.

Manufacture of the weapon system will take place at Rheinmetall’s new gun hall in Telford, re-establishing large-calibre gun production in the UK and creating around 100 highly skilled jobs, with additional employment created across the wider UK supply chain.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
4687
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Procurement Artillery
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk