Extension to armoured vehicle contract will create at least 120 jobs
An order for 100 more military vehicles, worth several hundred million pounds, will create 120 more jobs at Stockport engineering group WFEL.
More recruitment in the associated supply chain is also expected.
The extension of the manufacturing contract was announced at WFEL’s site during a visit by the British Army’s Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Lt Gen Sir Christopher Tickell, together with Chris Bushell, Director General Land, Defence Equipment and Support and other senior industry colleagues.
WFEL is working with ARTEC, a joint venture between German companies Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Rheinmetall, on delivering more than 500 Boxer Mechanised Infantry Vehicles to the British Army in a £2.8bn Ministry of Defence contract.
The contract extension, to 623, vehicles will include extra infantry carrier vehicles, command & control vehicles and ambulances which will be used by the British Army’s new Armoured Brigade Combat Teams, as a first uplift to increase the Force Structure, as planned in the 2021 Defence Command Paper.
The additional vehicles will be manufactured in both the UK and Germany and will be delivered from 2024, while the original order for 523 Boxer vehicles will deliver from 2023.
Defence Procurement Minister, Jeremy Quin, said: “This order will accelerate the delivery of the Boxer fleet to the British Army and increase its numbers.
“The land equipment upgrade is a vital element of the Integrated Review, on which we continue to deliver. Doing so, alongside our German allies, creates opportunities for both our Armed Forces.”
Chris Bushell, Director General Land, Defence Equipment and Support, the procurement arm of the Ministry of Defence, said: “This contract extension is great news for the Boxer programme and committing to buying an extra 100 vehicles demonstrates our confidence in the programme and the benefits of the capability.
“Not only is this great news for the future of the British Army, but it will also boost our commitment to investing in the UK’s defence industry and supply chains, meaning we can retain critical engineering and manufacturing skills in the UK.”
