{"id":242596,"date":"2016-05-10T06:41:46","date_gmt":"2016-05-10T06:41:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/newswire\/what-steel-crisis-100-british-supertanks-to-be-built-with-swedish-steel-in-spain\/"},"modified":"2016-05-10T17:10:44","modified_gmt":"2016-05-10T17:10:44","slug":"what-steel-crisis-100-british-supertanks-to-be-built-with-swedish-steel-in-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/newswire\/what-steel-crisis-100-british-supertanks-to-be-built-with-swedish-steel-in-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"What steel crisis? 100 British \u2018supertanks\u2019 to be built with Swedish steel\u2026 in Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first 100 next-generation Ajax battle tanks earmarked for use by the British Army will be built in Spain with Swedish steel \u2013 despite the UK steel industry\u2019s seemingly imminent collapse.<\/p>\n

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It was reported Monday that the first 100 Ajax vehicles will be produced in Spain to ensure that they are in service by 2017.<\/p>\n

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They will also reportedly be made of Swedish steel, despite the fact that the UK steel industry appears to be in a state of collapse, with a number of firms \u2013 and tens of thousands of jobs \u2013 at risk.<\/p>\n

Eventual production of the rest of the new tanks \u2013 the full complement is expected to be around 600 \u2013 will take place in Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales, as part of a projected \u00a34.5 billon program.<\/p>\n

It comes against a background of crisis in one of Britain\u2019s last remaining heavy industries.<\/p>\n

In March, Indian-owned Tata Steel said it would sell its UK business after Thai company SSI announced the closure of its Redcar works.<\/p>\n

The collapse, blamed partially on cheap steel from China, has led to clashes in parliament and outrage among trade unions over the future of British steel and its thousands of skilled workers.<\/p>\n

The Ajax is meant to be the stalwart of Britain\u2019s new rapid reaction strike brigades as the army seeks to reorganize to face the perceived Russian threat.<\/p>\n

A prototype was first test-fired in mid-April. There will be a number of variants including an engineering model and a field ambulance version.<\/p>\n

The Ajax program hit a snag in January after it emerged its sheer weight meant it had to be taken apart to put it on a plane, worrying for a vehicle meant to serve as the mainstay of a rapid-reaction force.<\/p>\n