BAE Systems workers are operating ‘under a cloud’ amid swingeing defence cuts by the Government, union leaders have said.

Hundreds of jobs were axed at the firm’s Lancashire plants after the strategic defence and security review (SDSR) grounded the RAF’s Harrier and Nimrod aircraft.

And now, with reports of further defence reductions to come, union bosses say the atmosphere of uncertainty is causing anxiety among staff.

Phil Entwistle, an all-union representative based at BAE’s Samlesbury site, which employs 4,000, said: “We have seen hundreds of colleagues go because of the cuts to Nimrod and Harrier, and now there is considerable uncertainty.

“Everyone feels like something is about to happen but until someone tells us we just don’t know.

“We are basically working under a cloud.”

Mr Entwistle has made clear that workers’ grievance is with the Coalition Government and not BAE, which he said promised continued investment at Samlesbury.

About 260 job losses at the site, announced following October’s SDSR, have been found through volunteers.

However, the future of Samlesbury relies on Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, with thousands of staff working on the two projects.

The Government has slashed order numbers for F-35 from 138 to 46 and it is unclear how many more Typhoons the UK will buy.

And reports last weekend suggested David Cameron may enforce even deeper cuts on the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Mr Entwistle added: “We need assurances over Typhoon and F-35. At the moment, we’ve not had that.”

BAE declined to comment.

The MoD said: “The SDSR was undertaken in the context of the biggest budget deficit in post-war history and the need to take the right decisions to deliver a military force that meets the challenges of today and tomorrow.”