The Ministry of Defence has revealed how much British content can be found in aircraft like the P-8, Apache and others.
Boeing platforms have UK suppliers across global fleets, e.g. in 2022, 4% of the global content on Boeing’s P-8 programme was sourced from the UK, including fuel tanks made by Marshalls in Cambridge. UK content is across a growing global fleet of over 180 P-8s.
According to the MOD:
“Boeing has partnered with the United Kingdom since before World War II. Over the course of a relationship that spans more than 80 years, Boeing has grown to a highly-skilled workforce of over 4,000 people – Boeing’s largest European base – across 30 key locations, from Lossiemouth to Gosport.
Boeing is woven deep into the fabric of the UK’s aerospace, defence and wider industrial
ecosystem, including through collaboration with the UK Government, long-term research partnerships with six universities and a diverse network of over 650 domestic suppliers, which is one of Boeing’s largest international supply chains in the world.”
Boeing has significant UK content on a number of its platform programmes, according to MOD data:
- P-8: 127 UK suppliers, 4% UK content, global fleet of 180+ aircraft
- CH-47: 45 UK suppliers, 2% UK content, global fleet of 950+ aircraft
- AH-64: 75 UK suppliers, 7% UK content, global fleet of 1280+ aircraft
- E-7: 51 UK suppliers, 10% UK content, global fleet of 19 aircraft
- Gladiator: 20 UK suppliers, 93% UK content, home-grown by BDUK/RAF
For clarity, the above is content sourced from the UK in a calendar year for the respective programme, against content sourced globally, including the U.S.
Wow 2% of CH47, another UK export success there.
Given Boeings preference for out sourcing that really seems like nothing.
It’s certainly a huge success story for the British Armed forces Jim.
Our substantial Chinook fleet is an absolutely prized asset within NATO.
We can’t piss all our money away on UK plc, we pour plenty of cash into the UK military industrial base already.
Ship / submarine / fast air takes a ‘huge’ slice of the cake.
I’m surprised 7% of the AH-64 is from the UK, that’s quite a bit actually.
67 apaches had rolls royce engines and a few other british systems so that would have pushed the % up
Content levels can increase, as these are 2 key allies.
Why would they though? Take a look around the room. The UK has dwindled to a small customer of defense equipment. One of the biggest criticisms of the F-35 program was the commitment to the STOVL model at the request of the UK. It dramatically increased the cost and complexity of the program for a customer that now only has 48 firm orders, good for 10th place if you don’t even consider the US as a customer. Less than Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, and Finland in Europe.
The marine core needed the F35B. It wasn’t just made for the U.K. and had the U.K. not joined the B model would have still happened.
The hassle with U.K. weapons and access to parts of the aircraft is an issue as is block 4. Until they are sorted purchasing lots when we have typhoon isn’t needed right now.
72 are going to be bought definitively. After those orders we will see what happens.
We could be waiting an awful long time for block 4.
The F35B even ‘as is’ provides a different force dynamic than Typhoon so I can’t agree we wait indefinately for enough F35B’s.
At some point we will need to make that call.
Its weapon fit is worryingly minimal presently, even American commentators are expressing concern over the lack of serious stand off weaponry till Block 4 is present. I was shocked when I saw the list of the current weaponry fit its strongest suit is air to air missiles which is not its predominant purpose esp in US service.
The difference is the US still has the legacy assets to utilise can gap fill in the interim. The f35b is our only option for carrier air wing.
Cheers I’ll have a look.
Hopefully this will put the pressure on and expedite the implementation/roll out of Block 4.
Not too sure how that fits in with the other pre-requisite upgrades to facilitate Block 4 specifically regards the B version and what additionla leadtimes UK weapons integration will subsequently require.
I should imagine this will not be a quick fix….
The USMC was willing to accept the C model for cost savings. They don’t get to buy their own equipment, the Navy buys it for them.
The C cannot take off from the Gator ships!
Not necessary, they also operate from CVN’s and shore based stations. That’s how they did it before the harrier came to be.
No the USMC don’t operate from CVN…why are you making this up?
Huh? Is this a wind up? Of course the USMC operate from the CVNs. They have been using F/A-18s as their CVN fixed wing fighters, but as Chris says, they will be operating an increasing number of F-35Cs. They first operated a F-35C airwing (VMFA-314) on the Abraham Lincoln a couple of years ago. VMFA-311 has also converted to the C, both wings are based in Miramar for deployemnt into the Pacific. There’s a USMC F-35C airwing in Carolina, too, but I don’t think it has been deployed to carriers yet. It has been deployed to airbases in Europe.
Hi Jon, as per previous, I misread something, my error and apologies to all.
As the Marines were desperate to get and retain Harriers on their ships till they get the F35b I would find it highly difficult to believe, except under unbending and extreme pressure that they would be willing to lose ship born fighters, esp as so recently US doctrine has been skewed to using their ships as ‘support carriers’ as well. Equally it was not Britain that forced the B version on the Americans to be designed and produced, indeed we pretty much had our hand twisted, bent back and nearly broken to invest in it when we were told way… Read more »
They would purchase more F-35C’s and operate them from CVN’s and shore based facilities. That’s how the Marines operated their entire history prior to the harrier. The Gator carrier concept has proved flawed as a contested beach landing is impractical in the era of Anti ship missiles and stand off attack weapons.
The lack of organic AEW and refueling ties the gator ‘carriers’ to shore based or CVN based assets anyways.
I think some people expected Lightning carriers to substitute for a CVN, which they really can’t as we saw with the Wasps, and not just because of the lack of organic support assets. They will make pretty good two-hit, day-one strike carriers, but will be less good at sustained operations. And I’d fancy USS America or Tripoli over say the Fujian for some years to come.
To be honest, I don’t think that would work for them anymore; they’ve completely based their force structure on distributed operations across islands in the Pacific. They need the F-35B’s capabilities to make that work, as SitS says, they wouldn’t allow that to be cancelled now.
the USMC use their F-35bs for a lot more than just operating off of carriers. let me know if its ok for me to post links here- there is a really interesting article id like to send. the US is completely refocusing on distributed ops around the pacific and just held a huge exercise in california operating F-35bs and helicopters off of tiny streets not highways!) the exercise was to quickly move in all logistics needed via v-22s and ch-53s and setting up shop to quickly set up a station that f-35s can vertically land at, reload, refuel and get… Read more »
And which USMC ship would the C be taking off from….? Lmao
The USMC owns no ships. The USN operate all the ships the USMC operate from.
Yes, my apologies to everyone, I misread something and….generally my screw up..
USMC operates their F-18s and F-35Cs from CVNs… often carriers are deployed with 3 USN fighter squadrons and 1 USMC fighter squadron.
You are spot on with the B. In the design stage the wingspan was limited to the USMC / USN specification for their LPH.
Ironic. I remember the Army PTB being very interested in the Denel Rooivalk before Apache was selected. It met all of the criteria. Boeing had a hissy fit and started typical American corporate threats over a boycott of British engines for civilian airliners. The rest as they say is history.
Boeing Ghost Bat has more BAE linage than most on the list. The aircraft is all Boeing. What makes it fly is all BAE.
Great to see the WW2 Gladiator there, though I thought that was near 100% British.🙂
Is that % by value or components? On the aircraft that have been production for decades is that just the currently produced variant or all variants?