BAE Systems lays off 360 workers in Santa Clara, CA

For much of the recession, Silicon Valley's defense companies have been one of the bright spots in the employment picture. But recently, three companies have announced layoffs after the loss or cancellation of defense contracts. The latest, following Lockheed Martin and Rockwell Collins, is BAE systems.

The global company said Wednesday that it is laying off 360 employees out of about 1,800 at its Coleman Avenue operation in Santa Clara — 20 percent of the workforce. The reduction is due to the Army's cancellation of the Future Combat Systems Manned Ground Vehicle program, the company said.

BAE is an American subsidiary of the British global defense company BAE Systems. It makes the Bradley Fighting Vehicle in York, Pa. Its Coleman Avenue facility in Santa Clara is mainly used for the engineering of ground combat vehicles. FMC, which once made the Bradley there, became United Defense in 1994 and that company was purchased by BAE in 2005.

Rockwell Collins announced last week that it is closing its San Jose facility and laying off 600 people after cancellation of the F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft and the loss of a contract for displays on the F-35 Lightning II aircraft. Lockheed Martin said in June it would lay off several hundred people at its San Jose branch because of a change in scope of a classified program and the cancellation of part of a space-based, high speed military communications program.