The Ministry of Defence has pointed to rising export orders and long-term investment plans as evidence that Typhoon production at BAE Systems’ Warton facility is secure into the next decade.
In response to a written question from Baroness Goldie on 14 July, Defence Minister Lord Coaker said: “We continue to support BAE Systems in their ongoing export campaigns for Typhoon. We recognise the central role played by Combat Air in our industrial strategy and its vital contribution to the UK economy.”
He confirmed that the government plans to invest “up to £30 billion on Combat Air through the Typhoon, F-35 and the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP)” over the next ten years, adding that “a significant proportion of which will be devoted to UK companies, particularly in north-west England.”
This investment, he said, is “supporting over 40,000 long-term, high-quality UK manufacturing jobs.”
On recent and prospective export orders, Lord Coaker said: “Recent orders placed by Spain and Italy for 25 and 24 aircraft respectively, negotiations on a potential deal with Türkiye, together with another 20 Typhoon expected to be ordered by Germany later this year, means that high-quality manufacturing jobs in BAE Systems are secure well into the 2030s.”
The UK continues to lead the manufacturing of “37% of all new Typhoon aircraft in accordance with the Eurofighter industrial workshare agreed by the four core nations (UK, Germany, Italy and Spain).”
Lord Coaker also highlighted the role of BAE Warton in upgrading the UK’s in-service fleet, stating: “The work to deliver and integrate a new British-made ECRS Mk2 radar and integration of a new helmet called Striker II onto our existing fleet of Typhoon will also be carried out by BAE Systems Warton.”
Essential that Warton retains its workforce and their skills with potential new orders leading up to the start of Tempest production. Another factor, the retention of Typhoon production, allows the UK to maintain an emergency capacity to supply new aircraft in the case of a logistical emergency.
This is great news. I read somewhere, Turkey are looking at 40+ Typhoons? That keeps Typhoon production lines open in the UK (and with it, options for the UK) and hopefully brings on a new generation of technicians and engineers for tomorrow, to integrate Tempest. BAEs 37% workshare of a production run of ’00s of Typhoons is obviously great business for them but a 15% workshare of ‘000s of F-35s is even better for them. The latter also allows the current/future generations to have a hand in stealth/5th Gen technologies. The only downside (given the delays in software development) are the relative preparatory nature of the F-35 product when compared to Typhoon where we, in the UK, have more control over the roadmap for weapons-fit.
Don’t forget the critical role played by Rolls Royce in the almost 500 F-35Bs being procured globally as well.
Oh absolutely.
But it’s not really true, is it? Workers on the final assembly line need airframes to assemble and right now there aren’t any more coming through.
If the Turkey deal is signed they will be assembled at Warton, there’s also still a couple of Middle Eastern orders on the table that would be assembled at Warton if signed.
Obviously – but when will that begin? At least a couple of years – assuming it does at all. The MoD’s failure to buy into Tranche 4 creates more problems than just the RAF being severely understrength.
Assuming the the Turkeye deal does indeed go ahead and with final assembly in the UK, would it not make perfect sense for a joint order with MOD for a handful of fresh airframes for the RAF? even a tacked on order of , say, 6-12 aircraft would sweeten the deal for Turkey by bringing unit cost further down.
The UK definitely should order additional typhoon aircraft. We’ve retired our tranche 1s without replacement.
F35Bs are not typhoon replacements, they are replacing the retired too early harrier fleet.
A UK order for 24 typhoon of tranche 4s with ECR2s would be a very sensible idea to bridge the gap until Tempest comes along and ensure the RAFs fleet resilience and crucially airframe hours are matched until Tempest.
24 really is the minimum order needed. Ideally 36.
Remember Typhoon is the only aircraft currently capable of deploying the full arsenal of the UKs precision guided munitions.
No way are the RAF ordering more. They are throwing everything at next gen stealthy designs, ie F35 and Tempest, with unmanned drones supporting. Typhoon is clearly regarded as the last of a dying generation.
As much as I’d like to see a top up order it is clearly not going to happen.
100% Spenno. Adding 24 Typhoons for the RAF on to the a large run provides a much needed boost to the Air Forces numbers at what should be a bargain price! Apart from the economy of scale the huge side benefit is as others have said here, keeping the assembly line and infrastructure running and intact until the next generation kicks in!
It will be interesting to see if Trump successfully managed to arm twist the Japanese to quit Tempest to get their trade deal.
I suspect the Japanese are still sore about the horrendous cockup the F-2 was. A good machine, no doubt, but a miserable path to delivery.
We need another 30 ourselves. Typhoon Force is getting fragged
I just have to wonder how our three existing / long term partners (all in EU), feel about this state of affairs, they are shelling out their defence budgets and we get 37% of the value of their extra orders plus the same for the export orders.
Meanwhile we order zero and buy more F35’s. It may be great business but it’s a hell of a good way of souring future relations, just when things were improving.
This is duplicity worthy of France (or perfidious Albion).
Im afraid the current 2% defence budget just won’t squeeze to further Thypoons, I am hoping we at least bring all Tranche 2 and 3 jets up to a common Tranche 4 standard.
Let’s not forget, Spain want to offload 24 Tranche2 jets, we could buy those and put them through the tranche 4 process too.
Its a low priority for the RAF, who would like to buy F35A and ultimately run a fleet of Tempest and F35A in a high/ medium force mix along with a capable combat drone.
Would it really sour relations? They’ve only just committed to extra Typhoons recently because they’ve decided that defence is important after all. In addition, we’re drumming up potentially Billions in foreign orders that will benefit their industries as well. I think it’d be a bit rich of them to grumble at that.
Expand on that statement regarding defence being important, other than 14 Archers and the recent announcement regarding F35s we have ordered precisely zilch extra since Feb 22.
Just looking, scoping, investigating, reviewing, dithering, delaying, announcing fancy named projects and doing nothing ! No other European country has spent over 3 years thinking about doing something but not actually doing anything.
So yes I’d say making money out of others efforts is pretty rich especially when the tax goes to anything other than defence.
Well, I’m no expert on individual procurements, and not to diminish the clear incompetence of successive UK governments, but we have been spending more on defence than the other Typhoon users for over two decades and meeting our NATO target in regard to defence spending as a percentage of GDP. The Germans certainly spent a very long time dithering over what aircraft to buy. That’s it really. Again, I don’t at all think that the UK has covered itself in glory but it’s easy to get tunnel vision when your focused on your own country and think that everything is hunk dory everywhere else. Not that I think you think that, lol. Not looking for a fight. 😀
We are not unique – Denmark is ordering more F35A’s to add to their original order.
We aren’t ordering extra. We are still promising to order the same number of planes in batch 2 we’ve been promising to order for some time. We’ll just be substituting in a cheaper variant to same money.
This looks good, in terms of the big picture. Three years ago, the European efforts-and I very much include the UK-to get to a 6th-gen air combat capability would have gleefully competed against each other for export sales. They probably will continue to do so, but the new reality, partially brougaceht on by Russia, partially by Trump, and the general US pivot towards the Pacific, means that ongoing capacity to produce at scale, and pace, is key.
Simply put, we need more hardware here, and lots of it.
The recent NATO summit reaffirmed the position that the various members have, and should continue to explore their various areas of expertise, both in outright technology, and the ability to put it into the battlespace in time, and hopefully, at sufficient scale.
We have clever people on this side of the Atlantic. “Back room boffins”, and the people who understand industry, and can make it happen.
Looks like, in the continental sense, they’re being allowed, and funded the way they need to be.
If the war in Ukraine ends tonight, five years, more than once defence analyst commented, five years after that until Russia reconstitutes its armed forces, and feels ready to have a go. At the Baltics? Maybe…..
This is good news however can the RAF have some please or is it time to get my coat ?