BLACKEAGLE
SENIOR MEMBER
Tim Ripley, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
01 July 2015
A report looking at whether to build the British Army's new Scout armoured vehicles in the United Kingdom or in Spain is due to UK ministers later this month. Source: General Dynamics UK
A study into setting up an assembly line for the General Dynamics Scout Specialist Vehicles (SV) in the UK will be presented to government ministers later this month, UK defence sources have told IHS Jane's .
Dubbed the economic viability review, the exercise by Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials was launched by UK defence procurement minister Philip Dunne last September in the wake of the award of a GBP3.5 billion (USD5.46 billion) production contract to General Dynamics for the Scout project.
The Scout programme is the United Kingdom's largest land sector programme, with the initial contract covering the purchase of 589 vehicles and ultimately leading to the fielding of nine variants to serve across the British Army.
An MoD source told IHS Jane's on 26 June that the review was still in progress but would be complete during July and then be considered as part of the UK's Strategic Defence and Security Review, which is expected to report in October. The review is looking at the financial impact on moving production from Spain to the United Kingdom after the first 100 vehicles have been assembled, as well as the implications for the long-term in-service support of the vehicles.
"There are 300 jobs supporting the final manufacture of the Scout armoured vehicle in South Wales, with the main assembly of the vehicle currently taking place at production facilities in Spain," an MoD spokesperson told IHS Jane's . "A review of the economic case to transfer vehicle assembly to the UK is currently in progress with a decision expected later this year."
A spokeswoman for General Dynamics UK, told IHS Jane's on 1 July, "We remain in dialogue with the UK Ministry of Defence regarding the potential for Scout SV assembly to be moved to the UK. We expect a decision to be taken later this year."
UK-based Scout production study due - IHS Jane's 360
01 July 2015
A report looking at whether to build the British Army's new Scout armoured vehicles in the United Kingdom or in Spain is due to UK ministers later this month. Source: General Dynamics UK
A study into setting up an assembly line for the General Dynamics Scout Specialist Vehicles (SV) in the UK will be presented to government ministers later this month, UK defence sources have told IHS Jane's .
Dubbed the economic viability review, the exercise by Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials was launched by UK defence procurement minister Philip Dunne last September in the wake of the award of a GBP3.5 billion (USD5.46 billion) production contract to General Dynamics for the Scout project.
The Scout programme is the United Kingdom's largest land sector programme, with the initial contract covering the purchase of 589 vehicles and ultimately leading to the fielding of nine variants to serve across the British Army.
An MoD source told IHS Jane's on 26 June that the review was still in progress but would be complete during July and then be considered as part of the UK's Strategic Defence and Security Review, which is expected to report in October. The review is looking at the financial impact on moving production from Spain to the United Kingdom after the first 100 vehicles have been assembled, as well as the implications for the long-term in-service support of the vehicles.
"There are 300 jobs supporting the final manufacture of the Scout armoured vehicle in South Wales, with the main assembly of the vehicle currently taking place at production facilities in Spain," an MoD spokesperson told IHS Jane's . "A review of the economic case to transfer vehicle assembly to the UK is currently in progress with a decision expected later this year."
A spokeswoman for General Dynamics UK, told IHS Jane's on 1 July, "We remain in dialogue with the UK Ministry of Defence regarding the potential for Scout SV assembly to be moved to the UK. We expect a decision to be taken later this year."
UK-based Scout production study due - IHS Jane's 360