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Unite urges UK to pick Airbus for £2.4bn Skynet 6 satellite deal
The union says the Lockheed Martin bid could put up to 600 jobs at risk, while Lockheed has pledged to create about 500 direct roles in north-east England plus 1,500 in the wider supply chain.
Unite union leader Sharon Graham urged Andy Burnham to award a £2.4bn military satellite contract to Airbus rather than Lockheed Martin, arguing that choosing a US company would be a “massive mistake.” The contract concerns the UK Ministry of Defence’s Skynet 6 wideband satellite system, which will use two geostationary satellites to carry the UK’s most sensitive data, according to The Guardian Business.
The union and the Labour MP for Stevenage, Kevin Bonavia, are pressing the government to select Airbus to preserve jobs tied to satellite work at Airbus sites in Stevenage and Portsmouth. The bid is also expected to test Burnham’s pledge to use public procurement to back British industry, and it comes as Wes Streeting prepares for one of the first major spending decisions of the new defence secretary.
The Guardian Business reports that Lockheed Martin has promised to create about 500 direct jobs in north-east England, including an assembly facility in Durham, plus about 1,500 roles across the broader supply chain. Critics of the Lockheed bid say it could rely on American intellectual property rather than technology developed in Britain, while Lockheed says it will keep intellectual property it develops in the UK and has invested in a research partnership with Northumbria University in Newcastle.
The outlet also notes that the contract could matter for the UK’s export prospects and for integration with the US military, amid a wider context of pressure from the Trump administration for allies to buy more American equipment. The union claims selecting the US option could put as many as 600 jobs at risk.