22 July 2026 , 12:09
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Babcock Land Defence, acting as agent to the UK Ministry of Defence, has awarded BAE Systems a four-year framework agreement worth £4 million for the supply of artillery, howitzer and armoured vehicle weapons system components, including parts for the 105mm Light Gun, according to a contract award notice published on the Find a Tender service.
The notice, published on 21 July 2026, records a direct award to BAE Systems GCS International Limited under the defence and security special regime. The contract is valued at £4 million excluding VAT, or £4.8 million including VAT, and is estimated to run from 11 August 2026 to 10 August 2030 with no options. The award decision was taken on 21 July, with the earliest contract signature date given as 11 August 2026.
According to the notice, the framework covers the supply of components codified to NATO Stock Numbers, with the contract intended to include around 499 NSNs provided in accordance with the manufacturer’s part number. Babcock Land Defence reserves the right to add further items of a similar nature to the contract after award. The agreement includes key performance indicators covering on-time delivery, non-conforming deliveries and new stores rejects, and the notice states that the contractor will ensure delivered articles meet the Ministry of Defence’s operational and strategic requirements.
The award sits under the Common Procurement Vocabulary classification for military vehicles and associated parts. The contracting authority is listed as the Ministry of Defence, with Babcock International named as the point of contact acting on the Authority’s behalf. BAE Systems GCS International Limited is registered at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria.
The 105mm Light Gun referenced in the scope is the L118 and its L119 export variant, a towed field gun that has been in British Army service since the 1970s and remains a widely used artillery piece across a number of armed forces. The framework’s inclusion of Light Gun components comes amid renewed attention on the sustainment of British artillery holdings, with BAE Systems having separately signed a licensing agreement to support local manufacture of a Light Gun variant in Ukraine and continuing work to restore domestic artillery barrel production in Sheffield.
World Affairs Correspondent