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The Thales missile factory in Belfast has won a £176m order from the armed forces for a ‘significant number’ of its lightweight multirole missiles (LMMs).

LMMs are primarily deployed on Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters.

The Thales factory is best known for the Nlaw, a shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon, widely used by the Ukrainian Army in the war with Russia.

In December 2022, Thales was awarded a £223m contract to increase the supply of Nlaws.

Hundreds of LMMs have also been gifted to Ukraine.

Defence Minister Maria Eagle said the UK must continue to provide weapons to Ukraine and also to replenish its own stocks.

“Our new order of lightweight multirole missiles from Thales UK will support this, providing our armed forces with versatile missiles that can be used against threats such as drones, helicopters and small maritime targets," she added.

Thales is a French company which has 16 sites across the UK.

Production at the Belfast operation has doubled since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.