Thales UK has secured a £98.4m (approximately $137m) contract extension to maintain the Short-Range Air Defence (SHORAD) for the Royal Marines and British Army.
The contract supports 119 jobs at Thales UK’s Belfast site and within the wider Northern Ireland supply chain.
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Thales UK initially won the contract in 2018 to modernise and develop the missile systems under the Future Air Defence Availability Project (F-ADAPT) programme.
The F-ADAPT programme is aimed at providing the ‘Royal Regiment of Artillery and the Royal Marines’ with their air defence weapon systems.
According to a statement issued by the British Government, the latest contract comes as a five-year extension to the original contract.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said: “During these uncertain times, I am delighted that the investment of over £98m will protect over 100 skilled jobs in Belfast. I would like to congratulate all those involved who have secured this vital investment.”
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By GlobalDataThe SHORAD missile systems can be fired from three platform variants and can deliver ‘rapid potent attack capability’.
The three platform variants include a ‘Shoulder-Launch’ for single fire, a ‘Lightweight Multiple Launcher’ capable of firing three missiles via a tripod, and a ‘Self-Propelled launcher’ to fire up to eight missiles from a Stormer armoured vehicle.
UK Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said: “This contract ensures the vital air defence capabilities, capable of dealing with a multitude of threats, are maintained and readily available to deploy.
“The £98.4m investment is the second major contract awarded to Northern Ireland’s defence industry in less than three months highlighting Northern Ireland’s important contribution to the delivery of our critical defence capabilities.”
