UNION leaders were today seeking urgent talks with Hampshire defence giant BAE Systems after news that the firm is planning to axe 3,000 jobs in a ''hammer blow'' to the industry.

Unite said it wanted to clarify which sites will be hit by the jobs cull and would press for redundancies to be voluntary.

The facilities expected to be worst affected are BAE's military aircraft division in Warton, Lancashire, and Brough, East Yorkshire.

The jobs losses, expected to be announced this week, come amid concerns about orders for its Typhoon fighter jets as defence budgets are cut around the world.

Ian Waddell, Unite's national officer for aerospace, said: ''These job losses will be a hammer blow to the UK defence industry, which is already reeling with the consequences of the Government's ''buy off the shelf'' policy.

''We will be seeking urgent talks with BAE Systems to try and clarify where these jobs are under threat and to work with them to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible.''

Earlier this year Farnborough based BAE Systems, which employs about 40,000 in the UK, said around 2,000 workers would leave voluntarily or move to other jobs in the company.

But there will be 450 compulsory lay-offs at several military sites across the UK, including Woodford, near Manchester, Farnborough in Hampshire, RAF Kinloss in Scotland, RAF Cottesmore in Lincolnshire and Brough in East Yorkshire.

A BAE spokeswoman said: 'BAE' Systems has informed staff that we are reviewing our operations across various businesses to make sure the company is performing as effectively and efficiently as possible, both in delivering our commitments to existing customers and ensuring the company is best placed to secure future business

''As the outcome of this review becomes clear, we will, as always, communicate to our employees as a priority.''

Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said the news was ''a devastating blow for Lancashire and Yorkshire and a real knock for UK manufacturing.”

In July BAE reported a 12 per cent drop in pre-tax profits to £691m for the six months to the end of June. It predicted sales would fall in the second half of the year.

BAE has cut around 15,000 jobs globally in the past two years.