West Lothian has been chosen for a brand new hi-tech base that can develop lasers designed to shoot down drones.
Raytheon Applied sciences will open the ability in Livingston to satisfy demand for counter-drone know-how, specializing in the testing and upkeep of defensive high-energy laser weapons.
The brand new regional hub will even create dozens of jobs.
It comes after the Ministry of Defence introduced that a £160 million contract had been awarded to Raytheon UK to help the coaching and improvement of Royal Navy personnel at Scotland’s HM Naval Base Clyde.
Britain’s armed forces started trials final 12 months utilizing laser weapons.
Initially the variety of jobs created by the brand new centre is prone to be small, however might enhance to probably “a whole lot of jobs”.
“We’ve all seen that uneven threats like drones, rockets, artillery and mortars are a significant issue, and demand is spiking for cost-effective lasers to defeat them,” mentioned Michael Hofle, senior director of Excessive Vitality Lasers at Raytheon Intelligence and Area, a Raytheon Applied sciences enterprise.
“Standing up a sophisticated integration facility within the UK displays the maturity of our know-how and our dedication to ship the HEL techniques our clients must defend the skies.
John Gallagher, managing director of weapons and sensors at Raytheon UK, added: “With consultants projecting that high-energy lasers might make up as a lot as 30 per cent of an air defence’s infrastructure sooner or later, establishing a regional laser integration centre within the UK is a vital step to ship superior defensive know-how the place it’s wanted, whereas decreasing total prices of those techniques,” mentioned
Final 12 months, Raytheon UK was awarded a demonstrator contract to supply a high-energy laser weapon system to the UK Ministry of Defence, to be put in on the UK Wolfhound land automobile.
The demonstrator and the superior laser integration centre replicate a continued dedication to working with the MoD on directed power to assist fulfill a key strategic goal of the UK’s Built-in Assessment.
“This centre will assist place the UK as a number one nation in directed power and be sure that the know-how continues to be introduced out of the lab and into the operational discipline,” Gallagher added.
Raytheon UK is a part of Raytheon Applied sciences, which helps 1,900 jobs throughout Scotland and supplies a £187 million contribution to the Scottish financial system.
With services throughout the UK together with Broughton, Livingston, Glenrothes, Harlow, Gloucester and Manchester, Raytheon UK is invested within the British workforce and the event of UK know-how.
As a main contractor and main provider to UK Authorities, the corporate employs 2000 extremely expert individuals supporting the aerospace, defence, house sectors. Raytheon UK continues to put money into analysis and improvement, supporting innovation and technological advances throughout the nation within the areas of complicated weapons, coaching transformation, digital and house.
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