North Wales-based firm Qioptiq has won a new £82 million contract with the UK’s Ministry of Defence.

“The deal with Qioptiq in St Asaph, North Wales, will see battle-winning handheld equipment — including night-vision goggles and day and night weapon sights — maintained over the next six years, to ensure they are available to our personnel around the globe,” said the MoD.

The contract covers equipment used across the UK armed forces, from frontline infantry and Royal Marine soldiers to military specialists such as bomb disposal experts.

The news follows the recent announcement that North Wales will be a repair hub providing maintenance services for F-35 aircraft components.

UK Minister for Defence Procurement Harriett Baldwin said: “This deal will provide our troops with the equipment they need to stay safe, while also delivering £47 million of savings.

“This contract is made possible by our £178 billion equipment plan, supported by a defence budget that will rise every year until the end of the decade.”

Qioptiq is owned by Massachusetts-based Excelitas Technologies Corp. and employs 560 at its St Asaph and Bodelwyddan sites in North Wales.

The UK’s Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said: “This massive contract for Qioptiq underlines Wales’ reputation as a world leader in the defence technology sector, coming hot on the heels of the choice of DECA Sealand as the global repair hub for the F35 aircraft.

“This enormous vote on confidence in the Welsh economy demonstrates that we offer the highly skilled workforce and facilities that investors need. It is also clearly great news for employment in the region.”