Boeing opens UK defence HQ in Bristol
Above: Bristol, UK.
Copyright Shutterstock / photo by Alexey Fedorenko
The new facility is home to Boeing’s UK-based defence operations.
Commenting on the new facility located in Bristol Business Park, local Member of Parliament (MP) for Filton and Bradley Stoke, Jack Lopresti said: “I am delighted to open the new headquarters of Boeing Defence UK in my constituency and see the company continue to strengthen its footprint in our area. I know from my own experience on operational deployments that equipment like Boeing’s Chinook and Apache make a life-saving difference on the battlefield.
"This growing presence means more opportunities for local employment and those in early career roles who will go on to build the future of aerospace in our own backyard.”
Steve Burnell, managing director of Boeing Defence UK said: “Boeing’s presence in Bristol dates back more than two decades and our new, modernised facility, home to Boeing Defence UK, represents the next chapter of our history and presence in the local community where we are proud to live and work.
"With over 2,100 people dedicated to our defence business in the UK and 700 of these based in Bristol, the new facility will serve as a dynamic space for collaboration and innovation with our customers, colleagues and partners.”
In Bristol, Boeing supports defence programmes for the British armed forces, including the UK’s Apache and Chinook helicopters, C-17 Globemaster, P-8A Poseidon and assists the UK’s E-7 Wedgetail programme in Birmingham, where three Boeing 737s are being modified to become the future Airborne Early Warning and Control fleet for the Royal Air Force.
Richard Murray, Director Air Support at Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) procurement arm, said: “Driving UK prosperity and working closely with industry is essential to DE&S’ mission to equip and support our armed forces.
"Having Boeing Defence UK’s central hub so close to DE&S’ headquarters in Bristol is a welcome development and will further enhance the working relationship across the wide portfolio of Air, logistic information systems and training programmes we have.”
Alongside employees carrying out research and development, engineering and business operations, a digitally-skilled workforce supports the MoD's logistics and engineering information systems programme. It is also home to the design and delivery of real and synthetic multidomain training software and courses for UK defence platforms.
More than 280 veterans and active reserves are part of Boeing’s UK team and work alongside their military counterparts and within the broader defence community, from Lossiemouth to Odiham.
