Trubia (Oviedo) (EFE).- The Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, announced this Friday that Santa Bárbara Sistemas will build the new Chain Support Vehicles (VAC) for the Army, for an amount of 1,900 million euros, which will guarantee workload at the Trubia arms factory until 2037.
Robles made this announcement during a visit to the facilities, together with the acting president of the Principality, Adrián Barbón, and other authorities, to find out about the progress of the VCR 8×8 “Dragón”, “Castor” and “Ajax” programs that are being developed in the Asturian factory.
The new Chain Support Vehicles (VAC) will progressively replace the Armored Caterpillar Transport (TOA) vehicles of the Army and will be carried out “mainly” in Trubia, Robles stressed in statements to journalists.
The minister also highlighted that the Defense programs linked to the Santa Bárbara company will have a global investment of 8,000 million euros, an “unequivocal commitment” of the Government of Spain with this sector and with the Principality.
“They are not declarations of principles, they are reality”, the headline pointed out before arguing that this award is “magnificent news” for the Armed Forces, but also for the Principality, a community in which she “firmly” believes.
Need to invest in defense
Robles has pointed out that the world is experiencing “many situations of violence”, with the war in Ukraine, which reflect the “need to invest in defense”, which also results in the creation of “jobs”.
Thus, he has vindicated Spain’s commitment to peace that requires investments such as those made in Trubia, he commented.
As he stressed, these types of programs are “state policies” and “not party policies”, which is why they are left out of the general elections, he said, after pointing out that, when he took office, the Armed Forces were “little gifted” and in a “complicated” situation.
For his part, Barbón has stressed the “importance” that the workload guarantee in Trubia has for Asturias, which indicates that the plant will continue to be a “first-order industrial reference”.
“We are happy to see that the Government of Spain complies with Asturias in defense matters”, he pointed out in this regard.
The general director of Santa Bárbara Sistemas, Juan Escriña, thanked Robles for his “firm commitment” to the defense of Spain and Europe.
Works Council protests
The president of the works council of the Trubia factory, Pablo Coto, has pointed out that the workload announced by Robles is “great news”, but has regretted that it is not reflected in the conditions of the workers.
In this sense, he has criticized that the ministry “complies”, but not Santa Bárbara because it does not generate “stable and quality contracts” and maintains “total immobility” in the negotiation of the collective agreement.
Programs in Trubia
The Santa Bárbara workforce is made up of more than 1,000 people, 700 of whom work in Trubia and the rest in its centers in Alcalá de Guadaira (Seville) and Madrid.
The three main vehicles that are assembled in the Asturian factory are the 8×8 ‘Dragón’ Wheeled Combat Vehicle, whose first production tranche includes the delivery of 348 vehicles and it is estimated that the full number of contracted units will end in 2027.
This year 24 vehicles will be completed, while another 80 are expected to be manufactured next year.
The ‘Castor’ Sapper Combat Vehicle is also being developed, the first units of which are already being delivered to the Army, and the ‘Ajax’ Chain Combat Vehicle, with 1,000 units committed by the British Armed Forces. EFE