26/10/2011
Defence contractor Lockheed Martin UK will be awarded the contract for a ₤1bn (1.15bn Euro) upgrade of the British army’s Warrior armoured vehicle, as announced by Prime Minister David Cameron and Defence Secretary Philip Hammond yesterday. According to the Ministry of Defence, this decision will sustain and create about 600 jobs at the firm and its suppliers.
The service life of the vehicle will be extended until 2040 and beyond. “Not only is this fantastic news for the army, it also represents a great boost to British industry, sustaining jobs, skills and capability within the UK’s armoured vehicle sector,” Hammond explained. The upgrade will include an improved turret, a new stabilised 40 mm cannon as well as a new armour-mounting system. Sir Peter Wall, chief of general staff of the British army, welcomed the government decision: “Warrior will continue to be at the heart of our combat capability for at least another 25 years, with state of the art firepower and electronics. Wherever the army deploys, our infantry will depend on its superior protection, mobility and lethality. This will be a battle winner.” Lockheed Martin’s UK vice-president added that “the Warrior capability sustainment programme will bring significant job opportunities for our team of suppliers based here in the UK.” The British government recently committed to a 1%-a-year real-term increase in the defence ministry’s equipment and support budget.
Reinforcing the EU drive on defence and security technologies will be a topic at the SDA’s upcoming SecDef conference.