UK defence giant BAE Systems to axe almost 2,000 jobs

British military equipment maker BAE Systems said Tuesday it plans to cut almost 2,000 jobs, mainly owing to the group facing weaker demand for Hawk and Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets.

There will be cutback in BAE's military, maritime and intelligence services divisions under moves to streamline the group overall.

"To ensure production continuity at competitive costs...  and based on the profile of currently contracted and expected aircraft deliveries, actions continue to be taken to reduce the group's current Typhoon and Hawk production rates," BAE said in a trading update.

"As a result, the group has today announced a proposal to reduce the workforce of the military air and information business by up to 1,400 roles."

Those job losses will fall across five sites over the next three years, including Warton and Samlesbury in northwestern England, where Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets are assembled.

Approximately 375 redundancies will also hit BAE's maritime servicing and support business, mainly affecting Portsmouth on the south coast.

The company's cyber intelligence business in London and nearby Guildford will lose about 150 jobs.

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© Agence France-Presse

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