DEFENCE firm BAE Systems has said its orders from the beginning of the year to August 23 totalled £7.9 billion, including £2.6 billion from non-US and UK markets.

In a trading update covering July 1 to September 28, BAE confirmed the award of a £348 million contract by the Ministry of Defence to build three new offshore patrol vessels for the Royal Navy.

There were £100m of impairment charges relating to operations in South Africa and the US but its full-year outlook remained unchanged.