400 jobs to be lost at Brough BAE

BAE Systems is planning to cut almost 2,000 jobs in its military, maritime and intelligence services under moves to streamline its business and have a "sharper" competitive edge.

400 of those jobs are set to be cut at the site in Brough.

The biggest cutback will be in the military air business, with 1,400 jobs set to be axed across five sites over the next three years, including Warton and Samlesbury in Lancashire, where the Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft assembly takes place.

Jobs will also be cut at RAF bases in Marham, Norfolk, and Leeming in North Yorkshire.

Around 375 proposed redundancies were announced in BAE's maritime servicing and support business, mainly affecting Portsmouth.

Some jobs will also go from the company's cyber intelligence business in London and Guildford.

Chief executive Charles Woodburn said:

"The organisational changes we are announcing today accelerate our evolution to a more streamlined, de-layered organisation, with a sharper competitive edge and a renewed focus on technology.

"These actions will further strengthen our company as we deliver our strategy in a changing environment."

BAE said in a statement:

"Discussions with current and prospective customers continue to support our expectations for additional Typhoon and Hawk orders, including the recently announced Statement of Intent by Qatar to purchase 24 Typhoon aircraft.

"Negotiations are progressing to agree a contract with the government of Qatar, which, if secured, would sustain Typhoon production jobs, and manufacturing well into the next decade.

"However, the timing of future orders is always uncertain and, to ensure production continuity and competitive costs between the completion of current contracts and anticipated new orders, we now plan to reduce Typhoon final assembly and Hawk production rates.

"The recently announced Statement of Intent from Qatar also included the intention to purchase six Hawk aircraft. While this is also subject to agreeing a contract between BAE Systems and the Qatar government, we have taken the decision to include this potential future order in production planning, extending Hawk manufacturing for a further 12 months at a reduced production rate.

"We are actively pursuing additional orders which, if secured in the next year, would further extend Hawk manufacturing.

"Following the UK Government's confirmation that the RAF's Tornado fleet will be taken out of active service in 2019, Tornado support and sustainment activities at RAF Marham and RAF Leeming are progressively winding down and will cease at that time. Longer term, our presence at RAF Marham is underpinned by F-35 sustainment activities."

Shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith said:

"This is truly appalling news for BAE's workers and for communities across the UK.

"The jobs that BAE are cutting are highly skilled and their loss will be felt in areas that have a strong tradition of defence manufacturing.

"It is time for the Government to address the clear uncertainty that is felt by the industry and come forward with an urgent plan to save these jobs.

"This must include the possibility of bringing forward orders to provide additional work for BAE's employees, such as replacing the Red Arrows' fleet of Hawk aircraft that are approaching the end of their service life."