BAE Systems wins £135m contract to upgrade Typhoon weapons systems
BAE Systems has secured a new £135m contract to develop the Typhoon fighter jet weapons systems, it was announced today.
The investment will support 100 high-skilled manufacturing jobs in the north-west of the UK.
The FTSE 100 defence giant was awarded the contract by Eurofighter, the consortium behind the fighter jet.
It is the most advanced such plane currently in operation, and is used by Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Austria, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Kuwait and Qatar have also put in orders for the jet, which started service in 2003.
Richard Hamilton, BAE’s Typhoon programme director, said: “This contract marks another significant milestone in the continued development of Typhoon’s capability as we apply our breadth of expertise to further advance its combat air capability, ensuring it has the technologies required for the future battlespace.”
It is expected that the Typhoon will remain in service until the middle of the century, despite the fact that BAE is currently working on a replacement.
The Tempest, as the new fighter is called, is expected to enter service in 2035, with the government already committing £2bn towards the project by 2025.
Last week BAE announced that it had received a further £250m contract from the Ministry of Defence to progress the project.