The Thames Valley is home to a well-established, and growing, defence and security cluster and two recent, and significant, new investments have been announced.
In Swindon, German defence technology company, Stark, will soon begin producing drones in the UK. Stark, which makes the unmanned weapon systems for Nato, is set to open a new 3,700 sqm (40,000 sqft) factory in the Thames Valley town. The expansion is expected to create more than 100 skilled jobs and will be the company’s first site outside Germany.
Will Stone, MP for Swindon North, was “proud to be working alongside STARK to bring back defence manufacturing to Swindon, a town with a proud military legacy and key producer of the iconic Supermarine Spitfire, so it’s fitting that defence is returning to our town. This is the direction of travel: creating high-skilled, well-paid jobs and putting Swindon back at the heart of Britain’s industrial future. This is just the start with more businesses to follow.” Further detail here.
The opening of Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) flagship headquarters, on Mapletree’s Green Park, will bring over 3,500 UK jobs and 1,000 apprenticeships adding further to the defence industry jobs created across the Southeast (which have increased by 4,500 in just 12 months). The new facility is a significant milestone for the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) – a joint initiative between the UK, Japan, and Italy to develop a next-generation supersonic stealth fighter jet, equipped with cutting-edge technologies fighter jet.
Tan Dhesi, MP for Slough and Chair of the House of Commons Defence Committee comments,
The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), upon which our Defence Committee recently published its inquiry report, is helping drive the future of British defence. With thousands of jobs already created in this vital sector, and now 3,500 more, along with 1,000 apprenticeships through GCAP’s new headquarters in Reading, this marks a major boost for the Southeast and a landmark moment for UK innovation.
