More than 1,000 jobs under threat at aircraft maker BAE Systems.

Around 1,000 jobs are set to be lost at BAE Systems with the axe falling mainly on its Warton and Samlesbury sites in Lancashire.
BAE Systems TyphoonBAE Systems Typhoon
BAE Systems Typhoon

An official announcement has yet to be made to the City but the losses are thought to be linked to the ongoing slowdown in the production of the Typhoon and Hawk with question marks on future orders for the aircraft.

The jobs are also set to be lost from other BAE Systems sites across the country such as at Brough in Humberside where work on the Hawk is carried out, but the bulk of the redundancies are said to be in Lancashire.

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Rumours have been circulating for some months about potential losses and in July the new chief executive Charles Woodburn, who took over from Ian King, hinted about cost cutting as part of the ongoing strategy.

He said they did expect more orders from the versatile aircraft, but timescales were uncertain.

In September BAE Systems had a success with a statement of intent for an order for 24 Typhoon aircraft from Qatar which helped raise hopes on protecting jobs.

But with major customer Saudi Arabia still thinking over an order for a further 24 Typhoons following the delivery of the last of its 72 orders in June and stiff competition from the likes of the Rafale and F-35 the lack of certainty of future orders has prompted a close look at production needs.