The wide-ranging agreement is expected to usher in advanced new weaponry at a time when defense budgets are tight and the long-term reliability of

Under the pact, Rheinmetall has bagged a deal to produce artillery barrels in the U.K. from 2027, a move which will create 400 jobs, according to Britain's defense ministry, and greatly expand the company's presence in the U.K. arms market.

Officials say German submarine-hunting planes will patrol the North Atlantic from a base in Scotland under a new Britain-Germany defense pact in response to the growing threat from Russia