BAE Systems, Britain's biggest defence contractor, is to axe 2,000 jobs in a bitter blow for Britain's manufacturing industry.



Here's a breakdown of where BAE's cutting jobs:

Warton and Samlesbury, Lancashire - 750

East Yorkshire - 400

RAF Marham and RAF Leeming - 245

Portsmouth and Solent - 340

London, Guildford and other Applied Intelligence locations - 150

Other UK locations - 30


The FTSE 100 company said the redundancies - across military, maritime and intelligence services - would be part of moves to streamline the business with a renewed focus on technology.

Unions reacted with anger, accusing the company of being "short-sighted" and the government of ceding control of UK defence manufacturing to factories overseas.

BAE confirmed the biggest cutbacks would fall in its military air business amid sluggish orders for its Eurofighter Typhoon and Hawk aircraft - forcing production to be slowed.

It said 1,400 jobs would go across five sites over the next three years with the Warton and Samlesbury plants in Lancashire, where the Typhoon is assembled, bearing the brunt alongside its Brough factory.

Operations in Portsmouth will be worst affected by plans to cut 375 staff from maritime servicing and support.

The rest of the job losses, numbering around 150 people, will focus on cyber intelligence roles in London, Guildford and overseas.

The news was announced just three months after the company got a new chief executive, following the retirement of Ian King, and it announced a potential deal with Qatar for 24 Typhoons and six Hawks.

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."

Unite assistant general secretary, Steve Turner, responded: "The UK government must take back control of our nation's defence and with it, play its part in supporting UK defence manufacturing jobs.

"Too much taxpayers' money earmarked for defence spending is going to factories overseas. By 2020, 25p of every pound spent on UK defence spending will find its way to American factories alone rather than being spent here in the UK.

"This state of affairs is not only hollowing out Britain's sovereign defence capability and British manufacturing, but leaving the nation's defence exposed to the whim of foreign powers and corporate interests."