Deal for extra vehicles worth 'tens of millions'

CONTRACT FOR 53 MORE ARMOURED VEHICLES

- WILLIAM TELFORD

PLYMOUTH BASED defence giant Babcock International Group and Devon manufacturer Supacat have been awarded a lucrative contract to build an extra 53 armoured vehicles for the British Army. The companies started production of 70 Jackal 3 personnel carriers at Babcock’s new factory in the South Yard at Devonport earlier this year and will now make even more of the high mobility transporters (HMVs).

The value of the contract has not been revealed. But the initial deal for 70 vehicles was said to be worth tens of millions of pounds to the firms and resulted in about £42.5m being paid to 73 supply chain companies - of which half were in the South West.

Babcock and Dunkeswell-based Supacat started production on the initial 70 Jackal 3s under one of the first contracts to deliver on the UK’s Land Industrial Strategy. The vehicles were designed by Supacat and assembled at Devonport.

This subsequent order is said to be testament to the close working relationship between the British Army, the Ministry of Defence – Defence Equipment amd Support, Babcock and Supacat.