Rayleigh and Wickford MP and member of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee (HCDC) Mark Francois recently paid a visit to the high tech Leonardo UK research and manufacturing facility at Christopher Martin Road in Basildon.
The Basildon site, which some years ago was owned by GEC Marconi, now concentrates on providing high end communications and electro-optical equipment for the United Kingdom’s Armed Forces and for export. Mark was given a demonstration of a number of key equipment capabilities that are worked on at the plant, including the highly advanced Seeker for the Royal Air Force’s Storm Shadow air launched cruise missiles.
Mark also met apprentices from the company, which employs some 750 highly-skilled people at its Basildon facility.
Speaking about his visit, Mark said:
“It was a pleasure to visit the Leonardo facility in Basildon, not least as a number of people that work there live in my Rayleigh and Wickford constituency. It was also good to have an opportunity to talk to some of the new apprentices at the firm and to hear how the company is helping them to develop their skills, which are put to good use in the defence of the United Kingdom. If we had not had a defence industry in 1940 we would no longer exist as a free country and so it is good to know that we have facilities such as Leonardo who are helping to produce advanced equipment, so that our Armed Forces can keep us safe.”