Serco has been awarded a new five-year contract worth approximately £7.8 million by the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to deliver maintenance and logistics services for EJ200 engines that power the Royal Air Force’s Typhoon aircraft, according to the company.
Previously subcontracted through Rolls-Royce, Serco will now work directly with Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) to provide services at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire and RAF Lossiemouth in Moray. The company stated that this new arrangement strengthens its position as a long-term partner in military aviation support.
Doug Umbers, Serco’s Managing Director of Defence, said in the press release: “The award of this contract is a testament to the expertise and dedication of our engineering teams, and a strategic step forward as we continue to strengthen our capabilities in maintenance and logistics. I’d like to personally thank everyone involved in the bid process whose hard work has made this possible. We’re excited about the future of this contract and the opportunity to deliver an exceptional service to the MOD.”
Sid Hallam, DE&S EJ200 Operations Manager, said in the same release: “This contract will support operational readiness of our Typhoon fleet, ensuring our Royal Air Force continues to have the reliable, mission-essential engine support needed to defend UK airspace and fulfil our NATO commitments. The contract also supports communities by sustaining 26 highly skilled posts – 20 technicians and 6 logisticians – evenly split between RAF Coningsby and RAF Lossiemouth.”
The contract builds on a series of defence wins for Serco in 2025. These include over £1 billion in Royal Navy Maritime Services contracts, a ten-year Armed Forces Recruitment Service deal worth up to £1.5 billion, and several major U.S. defence support awards. The company also expanded its portfolio in May with the acquisition of Northrop Grumman’s mission training and satellite ground network communications software business, generating roughly US$300 million in annual revenue.
Interesting that MoD/DE&S considers that Serco now has the capability to deliver this technical service and that Rolls-Royce is no longer required, but I am somewhat concerned that Serco are still on the road to ‘strengthen their capabilities in maintenance and logistics’. So how experienced are these technical personnel?
This contract delivers 20 Serco technicians and 6 logisticians – evenly split between RAF Coningsby and RAF Lossiemouth. What can they do that uniformed RAF technicians and logistians at those bases cannot do?
Usually support from Industry is bought in to deliver a capability that the uniformed staff cannot deliver ie that special factory facilities are required.
Hello Graham, I’ll bet most Serco bods are ex RAF bods, same when the Harriers were “Sercomed”. Reckon David Blay will know a lot more.
The jobs will be the same folk just TUPE’d across from RR to Serco. What can they do that uniformed technicians and logisticians cannot do? Nothing, -they are just much much cheaper!