Oakdale, South Wales - General Dynamics UK hasbeen awarded a contract by the UK Ministryof Defence (MoD) to deliver 589 SCOUT Specialist Vehicle (SV) platforms to theBritish Army to provide essential capability to the Armoured Cavalry withinArmy 2020.The platforms, consisting of sixvariants, will be delivered to the British Army between 2017 and 2024,alongside the provision of initial in-service support and training, and willserve at the heart of the Armoured Infantry Brigade structure.This contract directly safeguards orcreates up to 1,300 jobs across the programme's UK supply chain, with 300 ofthese at General Dynamics UK's Oakdale site.SCOUT SV represents the future ofArmoured Fighting Vehicles (AFV) for the British Army, providing best-in-classprotection and survivability, reliability and mobility and all-weatherintelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and recognition (ISTAR)capabilities.
Its range of variants willallow the British Army to conduct sustained, expeditionary, full-spectrum andnetwork-enabled operations with a reduced logistics footprint.
SCOUT SV can operate in combined-arms andmultinational situations across a wide-range of future operating environments. Prime Minister David Cameronsaid: 'I'm delighted that on the eve of the NATO Summit, we can announce thebiggest single contract for AFVsforthe British Army since the 1980s. These new vehicles are testament to the worldclass engineering skills in South Wales and across the UK, helping to createthe Army's first fully digitalised armoured vehicles. Not only will they becrucial in helping to keep Britain safe, they will also underpin nearly 1,300jobs across the UK and showcase the strength of the UK's highly skilled defencesector. With the second largest defence budget in NATO, meeting NATO's two percent of GDP spending target and investing in new capabilities to deal with theemerging threats we are ensuring Britain's national security, staying atthe forefront of the global race and providingleadership within NATO.
' Secretary of Statefor Defence, the Rt Hon Michael Fallon MP said: 'Today's multi-billion poundcontract is fantastic news for our soldiers in providing them with the mosttechnologically advanced and versatile AFVs to overcome future threats. This isthe biggest single order placed by the MoD for armoured vehicles for around 30years and is an important part of the investment we are making to keep Britainsafe. It is also excellent news for the supply chain of this state-of-the-artvehicle and will sustain 1,300 engineering jobs across the UK in key defenceindustries.
'Kevin Connell, Vice President GeneralDynamics UK - Land Systems, said: 'We are delighted that the UK MoD has awardedus this important contract.
SCOUT SV providesessential capability to the British Army to allow it to dominate the battlespace for years to come and it secures thousands of jobs right across the UKfor at least the next decade.
GeneralDynamics UK and our partners have worked hard over the last four years todevelop a world-leading vehicle, and we will maintain that same work ethic todeliver 589 SCOUT SV platforms to the British Army on-time and on-budget.
'SCOUT SV has been developed atGeneral Dynamics UK's AFV design and engineering centre in Oakdale, South Wales, maintainingthe UK's sovereign expertise in this important capability.
AboutGeneral Dynamics UK
General Dynamics UnitedKingdom (General Dynamics UK) has two primary lines of business: C4 systemsand land vehicles. General Dynamics UK works in partnership with the United Kingdom MoD providingthe nation's primary land capabilities including, amongst others, Bowman, theBritish Armed Forces tactical communications programme, and the SCOUT SpecialistVehicle (SV), the replacement for the British Army's reconnaissance vehiclefleet. The company also delivers avionics equipment used in rotary andfixed wing platforms, highly integrated mission and video management systems,flexible stores management systems, data link processing and video and datarecorders for UK and international customers.General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia;moreinformation about the company is available at www.generaldynamics.com.
