BAE Systems to lay off 119 employees in Vienna

Falls Church-based federal contractor BAE Systems is laying off 119 employees in Vienna after the company said its contract with the FBI was awarded to another contractor.

The company notified the state of the layoffs in a letter dated March 19 sent to comply with the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. BAE Systems wrote that it was notified of the contract loss on March 18.

“As a result, the company’s work on the contract will conclude as soon as we are notified, resulting in a mass layoff,” the letter stated. “We are currently awaiting notification of a final transition date.”

According to the letter, the mass layoff will occur at a restricted government worksite in Vienna, although the company did not list a specific address. The letter said the layoffs will be permanent and that 119 employees have been notified.

“We have issued a WARN notice due to the conclusion of a contract with the U.S. government, affecting positions directly tied to that project,” a BAE Systems spokesperson said in a statement. “Our top priority during this transition is to support our employees and ensure continuity for our customer. Where possible, we are proactively working to transition affected employees into other roles within our company, with a focus on opportunities in the local area.”

BAE Systems did not respond to questions asking for further details about which FBI contract was cancelled, and the FBI did not immediately return requests for comment.

In September 2025, BAE Systems won a nearly $129 million contract to provide intelligence analysis services to the FBI, with the contract starting Sept. 11 last year and having a potential end date of Sept. 10, 2030. It is not clear whether that contract is the one referenced in the WARN notice.

Based in Falls Church, Bae Systems is the U.S. arm of British defense giant BAE Systems PLC. The company has approximately 41,000 employees in the United States, the United Kingdom and Sweden. The parent company reported 30.7 billion pounds, or $41.5 billion, for 2025.