A defence engineering firm in Belfast and Crossgar has confirmed it will cut its workforce by 10 per cent over the next year.
Thales will shed 50 highly-skilled jobs in what it said is a business environment “unlike anything we have experienced in recent years”.
The company, which makes ground-to-air missiles among a range of other defence products, said they will try to minimise redundancies.
“The current business environment is unlike anything we have experienced in recent years and prospects and programmes in our defence sector - both domestic and export - are experiencing significant reductions in volumes and workload,” they told the BBC.
They said they will “make every effort to minimise permanent job losses and provide support to those affected”.
The announcement comes just after the company signed a massive deal to supply a particular missile, made in Northern Ireland, to the Thai army.