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| Weapons deal boost for east Belfast company Thales | Weapons deal boost for east Belfast company Thales |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The prime minister has said a deal worth more than £100m to supply military equipment to Indonesia is great news for 500 workers in east Belfast. | The prime minister has said a deal worth more than £100m to supply military equipment to Indonesia is great news for 500 workers in east Belfast. |
| The contract is for missiles and defence systems made by Thales UK at its factory on Alanbrooke Road. | The contract is for missiles and defence systems made by Thales UK at its factory on Alanbrooke Road. |
| The company said Prime Minister David Cameron helped secure the order. | The company said Prime Minister David Cameron helped secure the order. |
| Mr Cameron said: "This deal is great news. It will help secure highly-skilled jobs in Northern Ireland." | Mr Cameron said: "This deal is great news. It will help secure highly-skilled jobs in Northern Ireland." |
| The deal with the Indonesian ministry of defence includes the supply of Starstreak missiles and radar systems. | |
| Thales has done business in the country before. | Thales has done business in the country before. |
| "I would like to express my gratitude to the prime minister for his personal support and the support of the government," Thales UK's CEO, Victor Chavez, said. | "I would like to express my gratitude to the prime minister for his personal support and the support of the government," Thales UK's CEO, Victor Chavez, said. |
| "It makes a huge difference to the industry and our customers." | "It makes a huge difference to the industry and our customers." |
| The Northern Ireland arm of Thales was originally Shorts Missile Defence until it was bought over by the French multi-national in 2001. | The Northern Ireland arm of Thales was originally Shorts Missile Defence until it was bought over by the French multi-national in 2001. |
| Last year, it cut about 50 staff from its payroll in Belfast and another, smaller facility in Crossgar, County Down. | Last year, it cut about 50 staff from its payroll in Belfast and another, smaller facility in Crossgar, County Down. |
| It blamed the move on cutbacks in global defence spending, but came at a time when it had just signed a deal to sell missiles to the army in Thailand. | It blamed the move on cutbacks in global defence spending, but came at a time when it had just signed a deal to sell missiles to the army in Thailand. |