General Dynamics Land Systems


General Dynamics Land Systems is a manufacturer of military vehicles such as tanks and lighter armored fighting vehicles. Its Swiss subsidiary is Mowag.

History

In February 1982 Chrysler announced the sale of Chrysler Defense, its profitable defense subsidiary, to General Dynamics for US$348.5 million. The sale was completed in March 1982 for the revised figure of US$336.1 million. General Dynamics renamed the division "General Dynamics Land Systems". It operates the Lima Army Tank Plant and GDAO in Anniston, Alabama, along with smaller operations in Tallahassee, FL, and Scranton, PA. The headquarters are in Sterling Heights, MI.
In 2003 General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada, a subsidiary of General Dynamics based in London, Ontario, purchased GM Defense from General Motors. It is now a major supplier of armored vehicles of all types, including the LAV-25, Stryker, and a wide variety of vehicles based on these chassis.
The Canadian subsidiary has a 14-year $15-billion deal to supply light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia. Unifor union representatives Jerry Dias and Fergo Berto, Unifor area expressed concern that the London plant would suffer financially and that their members – over 500 of the 2,000 workers at GDLS Canada – would lose jobs as the existence of the contract was thrust into the spotlight during the 2015 federal election campaign. Both Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe and New Democrat Thomas Mulcair challenged Prime Minister Stephen Harper on the secrecy surrounding military sales to Saudi Arabia. David Perry, senior analyst with the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, argues that secrecy in trade details is part of a pragmatic foreign trade policy that is necessary for a domestic industry in a global market. Secrecy is part of the contract imposed by buyers and is "not the fault of government or the industry".