US firm wins UK tank-making deal

[pampango]

Source: BBC

US defence firm General Dynamics has won a contract to build a new light tank for the British Army.

The firm, which plans to manufacture most of the new tank in the UK, beat rival bidder BAE Systems to secure the contract.

The news is a blow for BAE's factory in Newcastle, which was earmarked to build the company's tank.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8580266.stm

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Aren't the British worried about becoming dependent on US companies building some of their military equipment? What if the War of 1812 were to reoccur? :)

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. you mean our

nuclear sub based missiles,
our nuclear sub technology
our transport planes
our AWACS traffic and attack control aircraft
our ground radar incoming fire detectors used to locate the enemy position
our heavy machine guns and gattling guns
our hummer all purpose transports
our F-22 and F-35 jets they ordered

[pampango]

3. Man, they're in even deeper trouble than I thought. Time for some 1812 payback.

;)

Actually, I'm sure the UK belongs to the government procurement agreement, that the US belongs to, which allows bidding on each other's government procurement projects. I wonder how much the US government buys from UK companies?

[Aristus]

13. A lot of our military stuff is manufactured offshore.

Just on the M1A1 Abrams MBT, for example. The main gun, the M256 smoothbore Rheinmetall cannon, is German-made. The coaxial and loader's machine guns are Belgian-made. The main gun targeting computer is Japanese. My issue sidearm was an Italian Beretta made under license in the U.S.

[pampango]

14. I thought that might be the case but I wasn't sure. Thanks for the information.

:)

[jmowreader]

17. The Abrams main gun is not German-made

It is German-designed, but the US has a license to make it. In fact, the Army makes the gun itself--it is produced at Watervliet Arsenal, New York, which is the only machine shop in America that can make a cannon barrel.

You are exactly right on the two machineguns: they are FN MAG 7.62mm machineguns. Very good weapons. Your issue sidearm was made in the US but not under license--Beretta built a factory in the US to make them.

[Aristus]

18. Thanks for the corrections.

:thumbsup:

[dashrif]

19. the FNH 240s are made in

South Carolina now http://www.fnmfg.com/products/

[Ozymanithrax]

2. It is unlikly that British warship will board American Merchant ships and press gang

any British Citzens working on those ships.

[pampango]

4. You're right, but that's such an early 19th century justification for war. (And as I recall

the British had actually agreed to stop the practice, but word of this didn't reach Washington until after we had declared war.) We would have to come up with an entirely more modern justification for war (which we have shown we are capable of doing).

[harmonicon]

5. reading the whole story it becomes pretty depressing ...

500 people are going to lose their jobs because of this. The reason? "value for money". No wonder people here hate the government.

[OnlinePoker]

6. Read further

It says the majority of the manufacturing will be done in the U.K. under the General Dynamics contract. Presumably, unless these are being manufactured by pixies, there will be jobs in the G.D. plant. Had BAE won the contract, G.D. would probably be laying people off.

[harmonicon]

7. I read the whole thing

My reading of it makes it seem that if the contract had gone the other way, the 500 jobs wouldn't have been lost. Yes, there will still be some jobs, but there could have been more.

[OnlinePoker]

8. This article, while not giving specifics says the General Dynamics...

...bid will create "thousands of jobs". They only have a workforce of 350 in the U.K. now, so it would make sense they would have to hire many more to complete the contract.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/general-dynamics-hits-back-in-fight-for-1632bn-tank-deal-1923100.html

[Posteritatis]

16. Ahhhh, that makes more sense then. (nt)

[davepc]

9. Why would the UK goverment not give a contract to a UK company?

It's not like BAE makes 2nd rate equipment.

[pampango]

10. I'm sure they are a member of the international government procurement agreement

that allows member countries to bid on each other's federal/national government purchases. The UK government must have decided that they could get more bang (so to speak) for their buck this way. If true, it saves their tax payers some money and next time, it may be the US buying from a UK firm to save some tax payer money.

[Posteritatis]

11. Yeah, that got my attention too

British-designed armor's pretty solid (pardon the pun) last I checked.

[OnlinePoker]

12. Read the article I posted in #8

The design is by British engineers and it will mostly be manufactured in the U.K. The only exception is the chassis as part of the bidding process required an off the shelf chassis. Just because it's an American company winning the contract, doesn't mean it's bad for the U.K. In a $2 billion contract, the government wants to get best value, ie. the most vehicles for the least money and preservation of jobs in Britain. Obviously they've selected the most competitive company after assessing the bids.

[awoke_in_2003]

15. Don't know about their tanks systems...

but when it come to flight simulation, BAE=overpriced and undersupported.