Race to rearm: Telford gun hall brings tank barrel production back to the UK

The Guardian Business · 10/22/2026, 4:59:54 PM

Defence secretary says Britain must manufacture at scale as Germany’s Rheinmetall opens Midlands factory For the last 20 years, Britain was unable to put a barrel on its tanks without buying from abroad. Relying on foreign allies seemed like a reasonable choice during years of relative security (for wealthy countries at least) after the end of the cold war. But Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has changed the calculation – and prompted a scramble to rearm among European countries, including the UK. Continue reading...