British Army's new Ajax fighting vehicles.

All service equipment from socks to weapon systems will be made by the lowest bidder.

Shirley that can't come as a surprise.
 
we don't buy absolutely everything we need from within the UK, we do trade with other countries.... I'm not seeing a huge issue here. We still have a pretty big defence industry.
 
Archeum said:
Well clearly it was cheaper to outsource so why not?

Er merr gerrd, taxes are rising because we want to be thoroughly British.
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I think it might have been nice to support our own industries. Sure cost must have been a concern but at what cost to the people in those industries.
 
Good, the government should not be an overbearing mother to a poorly invested, heavily environmentally damaging industry, which bleeds money. Most of the rest of the world has invested properly in their steel industry and modernised their factories. If we take away the stick and give the donkey carrots all the time, itl just get fat, not work and we will run out of carrots eventually.
 
Metallifux said:
I think it might have been nice to support our own industries. Sure cost must have been a concern but at what cost to the people in those industries.
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If our own industries can't produce the quality at the price point needed then what else do we do? We're not exactly talking a couple of pennies here or there.
 
tom_e said:
If our own industries can't produce the quality at the price point needed then what else do we do? We're not exactly talking a couple of pennies here or there.
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No I suppose not but I would like to know if the British companies were even invited to tender and what the cost difference was.
 
Metallifux said:
No I suppose not but I would like to know if the British companies were even invited to tender and what the cost difference was.
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Likely huge. Probably cheaper to do this and give money to the workers (not that they would though). Cost of producing steel in our outdated factories is quite a bit higher than in other countries who have had companies invest in modernising the industry.
 
Metallifux said:
No I suppose not but I would like to know if the British companies were even invited to tender and what the cost difference was.
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I imagine the tender was open to the whole of the EU and that the cost difference was significant enough that they couldnt go with a UK company
 
dirtychinchilla said:
Why are we wasting money on massive tanks?! We have much more important things to pay for than fighting enemies thousands of miles away.
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Ajax is not a tank - we also have defence obligations to other countries/entities where stuff like that is needed to have a comprehensive defence package against the range of potential threats.

EDIT: We absolutely should be doing more to leverage and utilise British industry in the construction of stuff like this though - even if it means making significant changes to those industries - none the least it keeps the skills and production capabilities in this country should we ever actually end up in a significant conflict.
 
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