Missile manufacturer mbda announces £200m investment and 700 new jobs

Missile manufacturer MBDA has confirmed plans to double the size of its Bolton site within three years, creating some 700 high-skilled jobs as part of a £200m investment. The development

comes in the wake of the newly signed EU-UK Summit Security and Defence Partnership, which paves the way for participation in the EU's fresh weapons programme. The Government says that

will bring 'significant opportunities for the UK's world-leading defence industries', as well as driving growth and supporting '430,000 British jobs and livelihoods'

MBDA intends to expand its Bolton site by 2028 and enhance both its apprenticeship scheme and educational outreach in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Business Secretary

Jonathan Reynolds visited the Bolton site this Thursday to disclose details of the expansion, which forms part of MBDA's broader £500m pledge towards augmenting its British

manufacturing and technological capabilities, reports the Manchester Evening News. He said: "This is great news for Bolton and another win for our world-class defence sector, which will

create hundreds of good, well-paid jobs and ensure the UK continues to lead the way on the cutting-edge technologies of the future." The newly announced Security and Defence

Partnership will grant UK firms access to the EU's proposed £150 billion defence fund. Today's announcement also supports MBDA's goal to achieve £10 billion in UK exports by

2032. MBDA UK managing director, Chris Allam, said: "We are proud and excited to be building a world class engineering and manufacturing campus in the north-west of England, the centre

of complex weapons manufacturing for the UK, and our associated recruitment and training will extend our already great workforce. "MBDA is privileged to have a 10-year Complex Weapons

portfolio agreement with the UK Government. This gives us the confidence to invest and better support the UK and its allies. It also helps our supply chain and over 700 SMEs who work with

MBDA in the UK. When we expand, they expand with us." UK Export Finance CEO Tim Reid said: "Pioneering companies like MBDA UK investing in their people and technologies for the

long-term underscore why we are a world leader in defence. "Thanks to our multi-billion-pound direct lending uplift, we can support even more defence firms to expand their production

lines and take on more international orders from allies – leading to greater economic growth, stronger supply chains and local jobs back here at home." DON'T MISS THE LATEST NEWS

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