Manufacturer catalog

BMARC

BMARC was a British ordnance manufacturer based at Springfield Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire. Its public record links the company to wartime Hispano-Suiza 20 mm aircraft-cannon production, postwar cannon and ammunition work, and later Oerlikon-linked naval mounts such as the Royal Navy's 20 mm GAM-B01.

2 weapons

The Grantham site began as a British rearmament shadow factory for the 20 mm Hispano-Suiza aircraft cannon. Heritage Gateway describes a specialized wartime factory with machine shops, ammunition filling sheds, blast protection, gun-test tunnels, dispersed outstations, and later classification as an ordnance factory through the late twentieth century.

BMARC's postwar profile remained tied to medium-calibre cannon, ammunition, test facilities, and naval anti-aircraft weapons. UK Parliament's 1995 Hansard statement describes BMARC as a defence manufacturer that was owned by Oerlikon until May 1988, then acquired by Astra, while continuing to manufacture equipment for Oerlikon orders after the sale.

aircraft cannonnaval anti-aircraft cannonmedium-calibre naval gunscannon ammunition

Notable Systems

20mm Oerlikon GAM-B01, 20 mm naval self-defense gun mount, Naval Systems

20mm Oerlikon GAM-B01

20 mm naval self-defense gun mount

Weaponsystems.net identifies BMARC as the UK producer and co-developer of the GAM-B01, while NavWeaps identifies BMARC's A41/820 manually controlled mount with the Oerlikon KAA cannon.

Sources: Weaponsystems.net GAM-B01, NavWeaps GAM-B01
Hispano-Suiza HS.404, 20 mm aircraft autocannon, Aircraft & UAVs

Hispano-Suiza HS.404 / British Hispano 20 mm cannon

20 mm aircraft autocannon

Heritage Gateway describes the Grantham BMARC site as a British shadow factory established for production of the 20 mm Hispano-Suiza aircraft cannon during the rearmament period.

Sources: Heritage Gateway BMARC Grantham

Manufacturer History

  1. BMARC founded for British cannon production

    Heritage Gateway describes the Grantham site as a rearmament shadow factory set up for production of the 20 mm Hispano-Suiza aircraft cannon under the British Manufacturing and Research Company name.

    Sources: Heritage Gateway BMARC Grantham

  2. Faldingworth test and storage site acquired

    Heritage Gateway records BMARC's 1974 acquisition of the Faldingworth site near Market Rasen, adding facilities associated with cannon testing and storage.

    Sources: Heritage Gateway BMARC Grantham

  3. Astra acquires BMARC from Oerlikon

    Hansard records that BMARC was owned by Oerlikon until May 1988, when it was acquired by Astra, and continued manufacturing equipment to meet Oerlikon orders after that transaction.

    Sources: Hansard BMARC Statement

  4. GAM-B01 service period begins

    Weaponsystems.net places the BMARC-developed GAM-B01 naval mount in service from about 1985.

    Sources: Weaponsystems.net GAM-B01

  5. Grantham site closes

    Heritage Gateway records the BMARC site closure in 1992, with the site sold in 1994.

    Sources: Heritage Gateway BMARC Grantham

Successors
Royal Ordnance
Website links
Heritage Gateway BMARC GranthamHansard BMARC statement

BMARC is defunct, so the profile uses heritage, parliamentary, and weapon-reference sources rather than an official company site.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Weaponsystems.net GAM-B01Publisher: Weaponsystems.net | Note: Supports BMARC as the UK producer and developer of the 20 mm GAM-B01 / A41/820 naval mount with Oerlikon Contraves development involvement. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • NavWeaps GAM-B01Publisher: NavWeaps | Note: Supports BMARC as the manufacturer of the manually controlled A41/820 mount used with the Oerlikon KAA cannon. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Heritage Gateway BMARC GranthamPublisher: Heritage Gateway / Lincolnshire HER | Note: Supports BMARC's Grantham site identity, shadow-factory origin, 20 mm cannon production context, ordnance-factory classification, and 1992 closure. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Hansard BMARC StatementPublisher: UK Parliament | Note: Supports BMARC export-licensing context for naval guns and ammunition linked to Oerlikon orders in the 1986-1988 period. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

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Category

Naval Systems

Warships, submarines, unmanned surface vessels, naval craft, and maritime combat systems.

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20mm Oerlikon GAM-B01, 20 mm naval self-defense gun mount, Naval Systems1990 Gulf War20mm Oerlikon GAM-B0120 mm naval self-defense gun mountBuilt in: United Kingdom / SwitzerlandThe 20mm Oerlikon GAM-B01 is a manually aimed British shipboard self-defense mount built around the Swiss Oerlikon KAA 20x128 mm autocannon. BMARC developed the mount after the Falklands War renewed Royal Navy interest in simple close-range guns for warning shots, small-craft defense, and last-ditch air-defense tasks; Gulf War-era Royal Navy reporting documents a 20mm Gambo aboard HMS Battleaxe on Gulf duty, with other references covering Royal Navy platform fits and training use.