Thales UK has signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for a further 200 Starstreak short-range surface-to-air missiles, a key component of the UK’s ground based air defence (GBAD) capability. The multimillion-pound contract was announced by the Prime Minister David Cameron in a speech to the Northern Ireland Investment Conference in Belfast.

The Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Philip Dunne said, “We saw during the Olympics last year how important our air defence capability is. This contract for 200 extra Starstreak missiles will not only provide our armed forces with a highly capable weapon, but it also secures hundreds of highly skilled defence jobs in Northern Ireland and should provide confidence to the export markets of the Starstreak system.”

The order has been placed to increase Starstreak stocks as part of the Government’s transformation agenda for the armed forces, Force 2020, to equip both the regular and reserve forces with the Starstreak systems.

David Beatty, Managing Director of Thales in Belfast, said, “Not only will this contract sustain jobs at our facilities in Northern Ireland, but it also demonstrates very clearly to our export customers the ongoing importance and trust that the UK MOD places in the Starstreak system and our design, manufacturing and support capabilities”.

The Starstreak missile systems, and its, were deployed in the UK by the British Army during London Olympics in 2012.