General Dynamics highlights employment benefits of FRES-SV offering

General Dynamics UK (GDUK) moved to underline the likely impact on UK employment of its offering to meet the UK Future Rapid Effects Systems - Specialist Vehicle (FRES - SV) requirement, as the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) Investment Approvals Board (IAB) met on 25 February to consider bids for the flagship programme.

GDUK - which has put forward the ASCOD Scout Vehicle, a variant of its existing European Armoured Fight Vehicle (AFV) family - said it expects a successful bid for FRES-SV to safeguard or create more than 10,500 jobs in eight regions of the UK.

Competing against GDUK is BAE Systems, which has offered a variant of the CV90 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) to meet the requirement.

Employment has been a significant issue of the competing teams respective campaigns. Jane's reported on 22 February that BAE Systems had warned that its UK military land vehicle concerns will become a "dwindling support services business" should the group fail to be selected to meet the UK FRES-SV and the Warrior Capabilitiy Sustainment Plan.