US defence firm General Dynamics¹ has won a contract to build a new light tank for the British army.

美国防御公司通用动力赢得了为英国军队建造一种新式轻型坦克的合同。

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The government wants to replace the ageing Scimitar scout vehicle

The firm, which plans to manufacture most of the new tank in the UK, beat rival bidder³ BAE Systems（英国航空系统公司） - where 500 jobs will now be lost.

The news is a blow for BAE's factory in Newcastle, which was earmarked to build the company's tank.

General Dynamics claims that the contract will safeguard or create 10,500 jobs in the UK.

The contract is reported to be worth £4bn ($6bn).

General Dynamics（通用动力） said its product was not only the best option, but was a patriotic⁴（爱国的） choice too.

"The programme is British to its bootstraps（辅助程序） , delivering a military off-the-shelf vehicle with British design by British engineers to the British Army," said Sandy Wilson, president and managing director of General Dynamics.

Welsh secretary Peter Hain said the deal would see 200 new jobs created at the company's plant in Newbridge, south Wales.

A further 250 existing jobs will also be safeguarded at the plant, he said.

The new light tank is designed to replace the Scimitar scout（侦察机） vehicle, providing troops with more protection and firepower.

Jobs blow

BAE had planned to build its contender（竞争者） at its Newcastle plant, protecting or creating 800 jobs in the region.

However following the tank decision 500 job losses, first announced last year, will now go ahead across England.

The firm had hoped to prevent the job losses if the new contract was secured.

The jobs will be lost at BAE sites in Newcastle, Leicester and Telford.

BAE has already announced the closure of its Telford and Leeds sites.

Announcing the tender decision, the Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth said replacing the older vehicles was "one of the highest equipment priorities for the Army".

He said that General Dynamic's bid had been favoured because it represented "value for money".

He also said that the majority of manufacturing would take place in the UK, ensuring UK skills and capabilities⁵ in the armoured vehicle sector⁶ were retained（保留，保存） .