SPECIAL REPORT: DEFENCE Britain’s last helicopter manufacturer warns of complete withdrawal from UK operations as the Ministry of Defence delays on £1 billion contract, pushing the defence giant to breaking point. Here we examine the crisis at Leonardo and he particular challenges for defence...
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For a sense of scale - The UK has one helicopter factory left. It is owned by Leonardo now, having originally been the Westland plant which allied with the Italian Augusta company. It is associated with the Merlin/Cormorant, the Lynx/Wildcat and the UK version of the Apache. Apparently it hasn't had a new-build contract in 20 years and despite all the talk about rearming the UK government is not investing big. At this time.
As a result Leonardo is threatening to pull out.
It will take 12,000 jobs with it.
Could there be 10 to 13,000 new jobs from bringing SAAB into the fold? Not impossible.
SAAB products
Gripen
Red Hawk
Erieye
Global Eye
CG84
AT4
NLAW
RBS-15 Anti-Ship Missile
RBS-70 NG Anti Aircraft Missile
GLSDB Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb
UTAAS Universal Tank Anti Aircraft System sighting system for AFVs
Trackfire RWS
Warheads and mortar rounds - including Strix and BILL2
MSHORAD
Giraffe
Sea Giraffe
ARTHUR
9Air C2 Mission Management System
Mines
Torpedos
ROVs/UUVs
Its holdings include Bofors (40mm, 57mm Archer 155mm) and Kockums (Stirling cycle AIP subs, Visby corvettes) as well as the Docksta CB90.
SAAB is also tightly integrated with BAE and a growing partnership with Boeing.
I suggest that SAAB is not about building Gripens or Global Eyes in Canada. The effort is to get it to help us build an integrated defence economy that serves the needs of the CAF. The Hanwha offer is comparable.