MoD awards Lockheed Martin with £129m 10-year drone contract
The Ministry of Defence has awarded aerospace giant Lockheed Martin with a £129m contract to provide drones to the UK’s army.
As part of the ten-year deal, the group will provide more than 250 drones with high-resolution imaging that can identify targets far from the operator.
Lockheed Martin’s technology is already being used by the US military.
“As the global threat changes, it’s crucial we remain at the forefront of innovation, delivering cutting edge capabilities to our deployed forces,” said minister for defence procurement Alex Chalk.
“This is another fantastic example of British industry supporting UK defence technology.”
According to Andy Start, chief executive of the MoD’s defence equipment and support, the contract will support more than a dozen “highly skilled jobs for the next decade.”
It comes as the UK signed a partnership with Italy and Japan to develop next-generation fighter jets.