Defence contractor QinetiQ plans job cuts in Scotland and Wales

Defence contractor QinetiQ is consulting staff at sites in Scotland and Wales on plans to cut 23 jobs.

The BBC understands the majority of the roles could be lost at MoD Aberporth, which runs a military testing range in Cardigan Bay in west Wales.

A smaller number of posts could go at MoD Hebrides, a weapons testing range in the Western Isles.

The sites are used for testing a number of different weapons, including missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

A QinetiQ spokesperson said: “Like all companies, we continuously review our business to ensure we’re meeting our customers’ requirements in the most effective way.

“We’ve identified some proposed changes and are engaged in individual and collective consultation with impacted employees.”

A military testing range was first established in Cardigan Bay during World War Two.

The Hebrides range was built by the Royal Air Force in the late 1950s to launch the Corporal Missile, the US and UK’s first guided nuclear weapon.