A contract for overseeing the management of the British army’s biggest equipment project was awarded on Friday to the UK subsidiaries of French and US companies, pushing aside bidders that included BAE Systems, Europe’s largest defence manufacturer.

The project is for the so-called Future Rapid Effects System (Fres), a medium-weight armoured fighting vehicle set to replace a myriad of different vehicles now operated by the army. Lord Drayson, defence procurement minister, said the vehicles were the army’s top equipment priority.