Small Arms Ammunition

7.62mm Ammunition The next generation of small arms ammunition

Soldiers firing 7.62mm ammunition © Crown Copyright

Our dedicated Small Arms Ammunition manufacturing facility at Radway Green has recently undergone an £83m upgrade giving us some of the most advanced ammunition production capabilities in the world.

BAE Systems can produce over one million rounds per day of Small Arms Ammunition in 5.56mm and 7.62mm NATO calibres including ball, tracer and blank natures. Packaging configurations include carton, link and clip to suit operational and training requirements.

Having provided nearly all of the British Army’s requirements since 1940, we are trusted to provide high volumes of precision rounds that soldiers know they can rely on. Our long-term contract with the UK Ministry of Defence gives our business a solid and sustainable base.

Performance guaranteed at every stage

Our state of the art manufacturing facility ensures that quality is embedded within all of our products. All components are subjected to stringent process control procedures and cutting edge laser gauging to guarantee that you can rely on every round. Nothing leaves the factory without our seal of approval.

Our engineers have developed new 5.56mm and 7.62mm rounds with hugely increased range and armour penetration, whilst remaining fully NATO compliant. We are also developing lighter-weight and entirely lead-free rounds.

Image of automatic image capture and laser measuring machine

NATO's precision reference ammunition

Our 5.56mm ball round has been approved and selected by the NATO Land Capability Group Dismounted Soldier Systems as the benchmark Reference Ammunition against which other NATO manufacturers’ ball rounds are assessed.

Our new 7.62mm High Performance (HP) round, now available for export

Used with tracer ammunition, 7.62mm HP doubles the range for penetrating some types of armour over the standard round. It is highly effective against a range of light armoured vehicles including fixed and rotary winged aircraft and is used extensively by infantry divisions who rely on it for its outstanding accuracy, penetration and stopping power.

The robust nature of the round and its bespoke packaging options ensures flawless performance in hostile environments around the world.

BAE Systems' full range of Small Arms Ammunition

5.56mm

Enhanced Performance (EP) Ball

This is our newest 5.56mm round, delivering enhanced penetration range and lethality. It is compatible with all 5.56mm NATO weapons and has removed all lead from the bullet itself. This provides massively increased firepower from your existing weapons.

Ball

We supply this nature of NATO-qualified ammunition to Armed Forces throughout the world. The calibre has become the preferred choice for light assault weapons due to the exceptional accuracy, high rate of fire and light weight. Known as the SS109, the bullet is constructed of a hardened steel tip and lead core.

Tracer

This provides a highly accurate ballistic trace for assault rifles and fully-automatic belt-fed weapons. It is most commonly used in 1-to-4 or 1-to-1 ratios and is highly visible in both day and night. It also features muzzle tracer suppression to make it harder to detect the shooter’s location.

Blank

Blank training ammunition can be supplied in a variety of configurations to suit customer requirements. When used with a Blank Firing Attachment it will function with all NATO standard weapons with a consistent and sustained rate of fire to emulate realistic battlefield conditions.

M193 Ball

The original 5.56mm Ball bullet, the M193, is based on a traditional lead-cored design. The lighter 55gr bullet is favoured by some Armed Forces depending on their choice of assault rifle and is available with the same packaging option as the standard ball round, working in conditions ranging from arid desert to sub-zero arctic temperatures.

7.62mm

High Performance (HP) Ball

Our premier 7.62mm HP round gives superior range, accuracy and firepower. It is available in a variety of configurations to suit assault rifles, machine guns or rotary fire weapons.

Ball

This NATO-qualified Ball ammunition has been made and continually updated at Radway Green since its introduction in the 1950s, keeping it at the forefront of Small Arms Ammunition through to the present day. It is used extensively throughout NATO countries and fitted to land, sea and air-based vehicles, providing a machine gun capability with exceptional accuracy, consistency and reliability.

Tracer

Used in conjunction with linked Ball or HP, the 7.62mm Tracer is ballistically matched to each nature to provide accurate tracing capability. We are also producing an Infra Red version of the Tracer in order to limit visibility to soldiers equipped with night sights.

Blank

Blank ammunition makes up a large proportion of all the ammunition we provide, given its consistent use in providing a realistic battlefield in training exercises throughout the world. Used with the Blank Firing Attachment, it can be used in all automatic weapons to provide safe training scenarios in both open and urban settings.