Leaders in British aerospace and defence have warned that Britain must act now if it wants to seriously compete in the global technology and skills race and not fall behind new emerging powers.

Companies including BAE Systems (LSE: BA.L - news) , Rolls-Royce, Siemens (BSE: SIEMENS.BO - news) and Turner & Townsend have joined forces with aerospace and defence body ADS (MCX: APDS.ME - news) and the manufacturers organisation EEF to urge the Government to provide the support needed by industry to compete.

They said that although there had been significant action from ministers already, with the establishment of the Aerospace Growth Partnership earlier this year to promote the industry, it was now time to put principles into action.

It now has to be translated into action meaningful to industry, said Graham Chisnall, deputy chief executive of ADS.

Mr Chisnall said industry would like to see new policies announced in the Autumn Statement on December 5, but said a working group of 80 senior industry executives would plough on regardless.

The Government has definitely moved a long way in the right direction and is showing real commitment to our sector it is a real step change for some of the UKs most significant aerospace employers, he added.

What is now critical is that the UK aerospace industry and the Government implement the AGP strategy, involving significant investment in research and technology [and] improving the competitiveness of its supply chain.

The AGP is jointly chaired by business minister Michael Fallon and Marcus Bryson, chief executive of GKN Aerospace, and was established as a partnership between industry and Government to create a vision for British aerospace over the next 15 years and beyond.

There is a global skills and technology race and if we dont act quickly we will lose that race. We need a solid blue print for growth that will ensure the sector is strong not just for the next five years but the next 15 years too, said Juergen Maier, managing director of Siemens Industry.

The industry group said new technologies and boosting skills and the sectors supply chain were needed not just to retain the UKs market capability but to strengthen it in the face of fierce competition from economies including Brazil, Russia, India and China.

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Aerospace industry warns on technology and skills race