Industry Says, £22bn Annual Value of Defence Sector to UK Economy

ADS today (Monday) unveiled its first ever survey of the UK defence sector ahead of this week’s DSEi (Defence and Security Equipment International) exhibition in London. The report complements the long-running ADS aerospace survey, the most recent of which was published in June and highlights the value that the sector delivers both to the UK’s Armed Forces but also, due to the proven quality of the equipment on offer to UK troops, to partner nations through controlled exports. Ian Godden, Chairman of ADS, said: “The Government seeks to support the UK’s Armed Forces, invest in high-technology and long-term, high-value jobs in the UK while rebalancing the economy towards manufacturing and exports. It is clear that the UK defence industry is delivering for the nation on all counts. “As the world heads to London for DSEi to see what is on offer from our diverse and technologically-advanced sector we are proud of our vital contribution to the UK economy and our national security. From large multinationals to small and medium sized enterprises – where the UK has more than France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Norway combined – our country can be proud of the innovative technology for which our defence engineers are rightly renowned worldwide. We also look forward to meeting a number of UK ministers at DSEi so that we can demonstrate to them what we can deliver for the nation with their support within the strict, effective and industry-supported rules that govern defence exports.”