The defence contractor Northrop Grumman will open a cybersecurity centre in Gloucestershire as it seeks to expand in the UK and Europe.

Staff at the new office will focus on big data, analytics, networks, and mobility in a bid to capture the growing market for cybersecurity tools as hackers grow ever more sophisticated and businesses move more of their operations to IT.

Kathy Warden, CVP and president of Northrop Grumman Information Systems, said: "We are committed to continuing to build a sovereign UK cyber workforce that is able to deliver innovations to help protect our customers against the increasingly sophisticated cyber threat environment.

"We look forward to expanding our presence in the cyber domain and furthering our partnerships cross the UK as we collectively work to ensure a more connected and secure world."

The announcement follows Northrop Grumman’s successful bid for a UK government contract which will see it providing engineering and development in support of cybersecurity.

Later this week the Northrop Grumman sponsored CyberCenturion contest to recruit young tech talent into the cybersecurity industry will also enter the final stage at Bletchley Park, former home of a precursor to the signals agency GCHQ.

"This new facility represents an important resource for Northrop Grumman and our cyber-customers in the UK and significantly enhances the range of UK-based expertise and capabilities that we can offer," said Andrew Tyler, chief executive at Northrop Grumman Europe.

"It will enable industry, customers, partners and academia to collaborate in one location to help solve some of the challenges of today’s complex and highly dynamic threat environment."