BAE Systems in the UK has confirmed it will cut up to 3000 jobs because economic austerity measures across Europe have affected Eurofighter production and other programs.
In a statement, the company said the job losses were in response to “changes in key programs and the need to maintain competitiveness.”
“Some of our major programs have seen significant changes,” company CEO Ian King said. “The four partner nations in the Typhoon program have agreed to slow production rates to help ease their budget pressures. Whilst this will help extend our production schedule and ensure the production line stays open until we receive anticipated export contracts, it does reduce the workload at a number of our sites.
“Pressure on the US defence budget and top level program changes mean the anticipated increase in F-35 production rates will be slower than originally planned, again impacting on our expected workload,” he added. “To ensure we remain competitive, both in the UK and internationally, we need to reduce the overall costs of our businesses in-line with our reduced workload.”
The job losses would be drawn mainly from the company’s Brough, Yorkshire, facility, as well as its Warton, Preston and Samlesbury sites.
