NASHUA, N.H. Defence contractor BAE Systems PLC is laying off 300 employees in the United States, two-thirds of them at its plant in New Hampshire.

The company, headquartered in London, said Monday that affected employees will be notified by March 4. about 4,600 employees work at the plant in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Other reductions in the 11,000-employee workforce will take place in Wayne, New Jersey; Greenlawn and Endicott, New York; Manassas, Virginia, and Austin, Texas. The company said in a statement from its Electronic Systems business that the layoffs are a necessary response to changing staffing requirements and the overall economic climate for its industry.