165 army jobs for new fleet

MORE than 160 new jobs will be created in Hampshire to maintain and support a new fleet of attack helicopters for the British Army.

The Apache attack helicopters can detect 256 potential targets at once and prioritise threats in seconds.

The fleet will replace the Apache AH Mark 1, which will go out of service in 2024.

A 20-year agreement has been signed with Boeing Defence UK to maintain and support the new fleet.

A £287m contract has been signed up to 2025 that will create more than 200 jobs including 165 near Andover, and 45 at Wattisham Flying Station.

Defence procurement minister Jeremy Quin called the Apache ‘impressive’.