General Dynamics wins a $610 mn contract to support UK's Scout Specialist Vehicle program 22307153

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Defence & Security News - United Kingdom
 
General Dynamics wins a $610 mn contract to support UK's Scout Specialist Vehicle program
The United Kingdom has awarded a $610 mn contract to General Dynamics to provide maintenance and support services to the new armoured tank vehicles it has on order. This new contract will bring an additional 250 new highly-skilled jobs to General Dynamics base in Wales, the British Prime Minister announced on Thursday, July 23rd.
     
General Dynamics wins a 610 mn contract to support UK s Scout Specialist Vehicle program 640 001General Dynamics Scout SV light tracked armoured vehicle
     
The British government last year signed a $5.48 bn deal with the same company to buy 589 Scout Specialist Vehicles.
 

The contract will extend the current in service support contract for the Scout Specialist Vehicles (SV) to 2024, delivering onshore technical engineering and maintenance from a site in South Wales. As a result, General Dynamics UK has taken the decision to bring to Wales: assembly, integration and testing for the vehicles which was previously carried out overseas.

Welcoming the deal, the UK Prime Minister David Cameron said:

"Today’s decision by General Dynamics to bring the assembly of these world class armoured vehicles to South Wales is to the credit of the skills and expertise in the local area. The 250 additional new skilled jobs at General Dynamics will build on those already safeguarded by the decision to purchase 589 Scout vehicles for our armed forces, ensuring our servicemen and women have the very best equipment to keep us safe."

The 589 new armoured fighting vehicles, known as Scout specialist vehicles, will be the ‘eyes and ears’ of the British Army on the battlefields of the future.

Designed by General Dynamics UK, based in Oakdale, South Wales, the new vehicle will give the army enhanced intelligence, surveillance, protection, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities, and it will be able to defend itself with a highly effective 40-millimetre cannon.