At BAE factory, Ukraine war fuels munitions output

WASHINGTON, Nov 13 (AFP): At a munitions factory in northeast England run by BAE Systems, production is running at full speed thanks to the war in Ukraine and an increasingly dark outlook for geopolitics.

Inside the large factory in Washington-filled with the smell of sulphur and dust -- 14 machines and 340 workers forge and paint artillery, mortars and tank ammunitions.

Observing blocks of metal heated to 1,100 degrees Celsius (2,012 degrees Fahrenheit) and which are handled by gigantic metal pliers-or watching workers carefully polish parts for hundreds of mortars-one almost forgets their deadly purpose.

Empty shells are transported to BAE's Glascoed site in Wales, where explosive formula is added ahead of their delivery to customers.

BAE in August announced a record order book and half-year surge in net profits of 57 per cent, as defence spending among Western governments has jumped following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Its shares have surged since the war between Hamas and Israel broke out last month.

"The world seems to be getting less stable rather than more stable," Steve Cardew, business development director at the British maker of military equipment, told reporters on a recent visit to BAE's Washington site between the cities of Newcastle and Sunderland.