PRODUCTION of an artillery gun is set to restart in Barrow after the Indian defence agency finally reached an agreement to buy 145 of the M777 guns.

A three-year hiatus of manufacture of the howitzer is expected to come to an end after India signed a contract with the US government.

Over the coming days, BAE Systems, the manufacturer, is expected to sign an agreement with the US to produce the weapons.

While BAE's facility at Hattiesburg in Mississippi is responsible for final integration and testing of the M777, prime contract management of the programme, manufacture and assembly of the titanium structures and associated recoil components was undertaken in Barrow.

At the height of the gun's production, around 400 people were employed by the defence giant's Weapons Systems business in Barrow, adjacent to the shipyard.

However, in 2014, BAE Systems launched a consultation into potential redundancy of 200 positions in Barrow, where the guns are built after the Indian government failed to submit an order.

Up to 72 positions were made available for those facing redundancy to join the shipyard side of the business and 240 people continue to work for the Weapons System division in Barrow. The remainder are understood to have been made redundant.

Now, with BAE poised to sign on the dotted line, production of the howitzers is expected to resume in Barrow. It is understood that any employees who previously worked on the M777 will be offered the opportunity to revert back to their old positions.

A spokeswoman for BAE said: "In 2013 the company announced it would suspend production of the M777 line in Barrow.

"However, the company has maintained the key skills and equipment needed to re-establish this capability once a contract agreement has been reached."

According to news publication India Today , the first three M777 howitzers will be delivered within the next three months.

The first batch of 20 guns will be delivered by BAE Systems in two years. The remaining 125 will be assembled in India between 48-54 months by BAE partner Mahindra Defence at its plant in Faridabad, Haryana.