WASHINGTON, Tyne and Wear, the United Kingdom (BulgarianMilitary.com) – BAE Systems’ Land UK revealed yesterday (29th January 2019) that the company has been awarded a contract that covers supply of 155mm Smoke and Illuminating artillery rounds to the UK Ministry of Defence for the needs of the British Army, learned BulgarianMilitary.com

The value of the newly signed agreement, which was won in a global competition announced by the Defence Ministry of the United Kingdom, is £16 million and offers the customer the flexibility of adding additional quantities, if needed, in later years.

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For the purposes of the contract BAE Systems will use for the shell body the existing Assegai Carrier design developed by Rheinmetall. That will save time and cost by removing the need for a completely new round to be designed. The shell bodies will be produced at the UK facility of BAE Systems in Washington, Tyne and Wear County. The Smoke and Illuminating payloads will be also assembled in the UK, but at the facility of BAE Systems in Glascoed, South Wales.

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“This contract is testament to what collaboration between strong companies can achieve. Manufacturing and assembling products to someone else’s design demands an agile and capable set up, which we’ve demonstrated at our Glascoed and Washington facilities,” said Lee Smurthwaite, Heavy Munitions Director for BAE Systems Land UK, and added, “As well as offering excellent value for money, this contract shows the dedication of our people to ensure third-party designs remain interoperable with the British Army’s weapon systems and ultimately, deliver essential capability to soldiers.”

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Smoke and Illuminating rounds are intended to aid battlefield manoeuvrability for land-based assets during day and night operations. The Smoke rounds are multi-spectral, which means that they obscure the battlefield both visually and in the thermal range.

About BAE Systems’ Land UK

BAE Systems’ Land UK has 8 sites across the UK. The company delivers munitions, armoured vehicle services and bridging equipment to armed forces all over the world.

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Source: BAE Systems