BAE Systems on Tuesday announced it will furlough more than 200 employees because of a contract delay.

The military contractor said a delayed program award will halt its Bradley production line for about 30 days, laying off 210 employees from July 16 until Aug. 13.

"Nobody wants this to happen, but it's absolutely unavoidable," said Randy Coble, site communications manager at BAE.

The company will cover 100 percent of employee benefits during the temporary layoff and won't contest any filings for unemployment, Coble said.

Delays in a 2011 U.S. Department of Defense contract caused a ripple effect through the production process, forcing the company to reduce its workforce, he said.

A $23.7 million U.S. Army contract - designed to provide urban survivability kits for Bradley military vehicles - was stalled for two months last year, yielding the current delay in production, Coble said.

- Reach Candy Woodall at 505-5437 or cwoodall@yorkdispatch.com.