50 jobs in defence contract; EMPLOYMENT: pounds 84m Ministry of Defence deal brings boost for city firm.Byline: Jenny Waddington COVENTRY'S NP Aerospace has won an pounds 84 million contract with the Ministry of Defence - creating 50 new jobs. The Foleshill Road company has announced it will help supply 97 heavy tactical support vehicles based on the combat-proven Cougar cougar: see puma. cougar or puma or mountain lion or panther Species (Puma concolor) of large, graceful cat that lives in a wide variety of habitats in the Americas, from southern Alaska to Patagonia. design to protect troops from roadside bombs while they serve in high-risk areas such as Afghanistan. Force Protection Inc Force Protection, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRPT) is a leading manufacturer of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAP), which have been used to support armed forces and security personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo and other hot spots around the world. and NP Aerospace, a subsidiary of The Morgan Crucible Company, have set up a joint venture company - Integrated Survivability Technologies Ltd - which was awarded the contract for the Wolfhound wolfhound: see Irish wolfhound. Tactical Support Vehicle. The development will create 50 new jobs within the Coventry company and the supplier base. The Wolfhound award represents the first direct sale to an overseas government of a Force Protection product - all previous products for non-United States governments having been awarded through the United States Foreign Military Sales That portion of United States security assistance authorized by the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, and the Arms Export Control Act of 1976, as amended. This assistance differs from the Military Assistance Program and the International Military Education and Training Program programme. Mark Robertshaw, chief executive officer of Morgan Crucible, said: "This is a further exciting development for the NP Aerospace business, securing a long-term strategic relationship with Force Protection and providing our customer with a truly integrated product offering. "I am confident that this contract, which will provide NP Aerospace itself with revenue of around pounds 30 million, will be the start of a very successful future for our joint venture." Force Protection and NP Aerospace have previously supplied mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles to the UK MoD, which to date has ordered 447 Mastiff mastiff (măs`tĭf), breed of very large, powerful working dog developed in England more than 2,000 years ago. It stands from 27 to 33 in. (68.6–83.8 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 165 to 185 lb (74.9–83.9 kg). 6x6 and Ridgback 4x4 vechicles. Both are based on the Force Protection Cougar vehicle and workers in Coventry carry out the integration and armouring work. These vehicles are in service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Michael Moody, Force Protection chief executive officer and chairman of IST, added: "We have established a partnership that we believe will become the base for growing our relationship with the UK Ministry of Defence. We are confident it will bring benefits to the UK forces operating in hostile environments." CAPTION(S): THUMBS UP... former Defence Secretary Des Browne MP on visit to NP Aerospace with one of the Cougar-based armoured vehicles. |
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