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Under the contract, Atec will supply RBSL with the Hull Contactor Panel, Hull Distribution Junction Box, and Battery Master Switch Box, in support of the UK MOD's tank upgrade programme. The panels form part of an enhanced power management and distribution system, providing protected power sources to the wider vehicle.

The work will be completed at Atec’s manufacturing facility in Manchester, which employs 37 people including 20 skilled engineers and technicians, plus three apprentices currently receiving training with the company.

The contract will also support growth, including recruitment of seven additional roles and apprentices, with further recruitment planned over the next three years.

The six-year contract was signed by RBSL and Atec Solutions at this year’s DVD expo, the biennial defence industry exhibition staged at UTAC Millbrook.

The UK may need to cannibalise stored Challenger tanks and AS90 howitzers to source replacement barrels for platforms sent to Ukraine as no manufacturing capability currently exists.