More than half a billion pounds has been committed this week to upgrading the Royal Air Force’s Typhoon fighter fleet, a move the government says will secure over 1,500 skilled jobs across the United Kingdom and reinforce the aircraft’s role as the backbone of British air defence.
The investment includes a £453 million contract awarded to UK industry for the manufacture of advanced radar systems, with Defence Secretary John Healey confirming the deal during a visit to Leonardo UK’s site in Edinburgh. Under the contract, BAE Systems, Leonardo UK and Parker Meggitt will deliver new radar capability for RAF Typhoons over the coming years. The work will sustain around 300 highly skilled jobs in Scotland, alongside 120 roles in Lancashire and more than 100 in Luton. Across the wider supply chain, the Typhoon programme supports more than 20,000 jobs at 330 companies nationwide.
The radar contract follows a £205 million five-year agreement announced earlier this week with QinetiQ to provide long-term engineering support for the Typhoon fleet, sustaining up to 250 further jobs. Combined, the two announcements represent more than £650 million in defence investment in a single week. The funding delivers on commitments made in the Strategic Defence Review to continue upgrading Typhoon, which is expected to remain in frontline service until at least the 2040s.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the aircraft remained central to UK and NATO security.
“Our Typhoon fleet is the backbone of UK and NATO air defence, operated across Europe by the Royal Air Force and our allies to protect our skies and security. As the threats we face increase, and as Russian drones continue to strike Ukraine and violate NATO airspace, this cutting-edge radar capability will keep Britain secure at home and strong abroad for many years to come.”
He added that the investment was directly linked to sustaining skilled employment.
“In Edinburgh and across the UK, we’re backing more than 20,000 skilled workers on the Typhoon programme who ensure our RAF remains ready to protect Britain. Our government has backed their high-skilled work with more than £650 million of investment this week alone, securing British jobs and making defence an engine for growth in Scotland and beyond.”
The upgrade programme will deliver 40 European Common Radar System Mk2 radars for RAF Typhoons, including 38 new systems and modifications to two test units. Once fitted, the radars will allow aircraft to detect, identify and track multiple air and ground targets simultaneously, while also providing electronic attack and high-powered jamming capabilities in contested environments.
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said the contract underlined Scotland’s role within the UK’s defence industrial base.
“This £453 million contract award to build state-of-the-art radar systems for Typhoon fighter jets shows just how vital Scottish expertise is to the UK’s national security. This upgrade to the RAF fleet, sustaining 300 jobs at Leonardo in Edinburgh and many more in the supply chain, is the latest in an impressive line of defence dividend wins for Scotland.”
Leonardo UK said the programme would support advanced engineering skills across multiple disciplines.
“ECRS Mk2 isn’t just an exceptional radar,” said Mark Stead, Senior Vice President of Radar and Advanced Targeting at Leonardo UK. “It’s equipped with advanced electronic surveillance and electronic attack capabilities which will make RAF Typhoons more potent against their adversaries, adapting to new and unpredictable threats.”
He said the contract would secure 300 roles in Edinburgh and around 100 in Luton, while supporting more than 70 UK-based suppliers.
BAE Systems Managing Director for Europe and International, Richard Hamilton, said continued investment in Typhoon was essential to maintaining combat air capability.
“The Typhoon programme is a fundamental pillar of the UK’s national defence and security,” he said. “Operating at the heart of NATO operations, Typhoon aircraft provide air policing along Europe’s eastern flank.”
So only 40 airframes to get the upgrade? What about the other 60+? This is just like C3 where only 60 are slated to get Trophy APS – what about the other 88 tanks?
Yes, what happens then if the remaining 88 are needed in battle to replace losses or to be deployed elsewhere? Not safe, not doable, so not usable?? They should do the whole lot and upgrade a greater pool of tanks. Get it over 200+.
Might be good to add z C-aus rws to the CR3s. The latest Abram’s seems to have the Konesburg RS6 station on it, same as on the Boxer. Would the UK do the same?
Let’s hope it’s just a first order to make sure everything works as planned prior to a second batch being ordered. And not that this is how many jets they expect to still be air worthy by the end of the project.
the 40 equates to T3 Typhoons which was always the plan….seems daft not to upgrade the T2s as well
According to DE&S all the Chally 3 will be FFBNW Trophy. So at least the only panic will be buying additional sets, not doing the whole installation.
That’ll be a select tranche 3. Rest likely will be scrapped rapidly after GCAP starts entering service.
Likely leaving RAF high performance jet numbers very low in the late 2030s.
Those 40 jets will struggle on into the 2040’s, the other 60 will either be replaced by F35A or Tempest in due course.
Only 40 sets?!?!?
Surely the main cost here is the R&D, so manufacturing more for the entire fleet should reduce the cost per unit considerably.
Then there’s exports orders to further spread the R&D cost… 🤷🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
MOD has been asked to find cuts this year. It will be hard to order anything not previously agreed.
Its ridiculous all this cost cutting. Surely in these times if defence needs an uptake it should be given some slack? Find cuts else where, get better value for spends, reduce wastage, duplication, claw money back from GD for Ajax, cancel or delay the MRSS for now??
This government’s motto: disarming the United Kingdom, and faster and faster.
Yes, It’s still 40, just like in all the other articles that you have commented on.
Memory not what It was It seems.
🤦♂️😅
The tranche 2 aircraft will cost more to upgrade and have a shorter service life. Personally I don’t agree with the decision unless we are going for a large new buy of either Typhoon tranche 5 or F35A.
Similar to US where F18G Growlers are part of the typical mission package for EW & SEAD alongside other aircraft.
It doesn’t follow that all aircraft need that capability as the same time. It’s not like the orcZ have demonstrated S-400 is effective in almost all scenarios..
The OrcZ aren’t the only ones we need to worry about…
Fair point but CSG has F35B for that, and Op Shader missions against ISIS probably don’t involve EW since RF are no longer welcome in Syria.
You’re wearing blinkers.
I think the last-year has shown that we need to be prepared for new threats to emerge from the most unexpected directions…
Indeed, hybrid war is in all domains right up to violation of the UN Charter.
Its not just SEAD where Radar 2 will give the Typhoon an advantage. It’s the air to air domain as well. The current mechanically scanned Captor-M the Typhoon currently uses, is still very good. With both very good range, and target detection. But our opponents jets have moved on from the legacy Su-27. Granted the Su-35 is just a souped up Su-27. But its radar is a significant step up from those used in the Su-27s. Which means it can employ longer range weapons such as the R37 (AA-13). Typhoons should be able to evade this missile, but it does mean they can’t ignore it and have to react to it. But its aircraft such as the Su-57, which could cause it issues.
With the Su-57 being slowly but steadily improved in both its systems and its radar cross section. Meaning against Typhoon, it will be able to get a lot closer before it is detected. A Typhoon with Radar 2, will go a long way to rebalance this.
Thanks, good insight. We’ve seen the effect of radar and missile range in Ukraine where F-16 has been outranged so needs the superior range of AWACS to collaborate and overcome the limitations of older F-16 radars.
Obviously needing AWACS support is a significant restriction on Typhoon and assumes accurate intelligence on combat adversaries. Nobody wants to bring a knife to a gun fight.
Perhaps every four ship mission will have to include at least one Radar 2 aircraft.
Su-57 seems to be still in low rate production and sanctions limiting a finished design, never mind serial production. Of course that can’t be relied on.so Radar 2 is required.
It is like everything that is done by MoD on a fixed budget basis.
Sensible budget set
Gold plate warriors move in
Project budget is reprofiled [translation delayed for in year savings] increasing costs as the project office and R&D teams have to be paid
Number of units ordered is cut
Headline cost per unit is astronomical
Bingo
Rinse and repeat
Exactly.
What’s not mentioned is the length of the contract although some clues were given: “will support jobs for a decade”.
So lets assume a 10 year contract. Last converted Typhoon delivered in 2036. Annual cost of 45 million.
Not very impressive is it?
Why is this gold plated, you do understand upgrading requires making something better than what we have.
This is not most efficient use of medium tech solution that is then for the spiral.
If it had been implemented ‘at pace’ it would have been a true world leader.
It is a lot more than an upgrade.
How was that tempest program going? I’m sure it’s going to be a game changer… What in the hell are you doing?
How’s the Weather “over there” (America, if you forgot you are one !) Are you experiencing a chill easterly wind ? That’s Europe mate. 😁😁😁
Might want to work on your English. What the hell are you talking about? Always love some random dude calling you mate……
See, clueless !
Yep, you just have to be American.
Translation for you.
“How’s the weather “over there””
I’m asking about the weather in America (“over there” is a sort of piss take based on your claim to be American) (you won’t get that either)
“Are you experiencing a chill Easterly wind?”
I’m asking if you are receiving Chilly Wind from the East as Europe Is located to the East of America, It’s stuff you are taught at school over here (I guess going to school in America is a tad dangerous though).
“That’s Europe mate”
“Mate” is a word we in the UK use to convey a warm feeling towards other males (mostly) but can be used as a mild Insult when intended In a sarcastic way.
I hope you can now understand “What the hell I was on about” now ?
Toodle pip old chap.
😂
😂
Very good Mate- this piece made my day! 😁👍
😁
What the hell are you talking about?
GCAP (Tempest) is going just fine but won’t enter service until 2035 at the very earliest and will take another 10-15yrs of deliveries before its in service with the current level of Typhoon airframes, so there is at least another 20yrs of Typhoon service for which they will need constantly upgraded electronics to keep them relevant.
And BTW, this is the AESA radar that will be developed even further and go inside GCAP.
Way better than your frigate programme… 🫣🤣
A little over £400m for 38 radars is kinda pricey. Does anyone know how much other nations paid for their radars both for the typhoon and other aircraft of similar quality?
They’re trying a load of tech they’d like to put on Tempest, might be inferred.
There’s more to the upgrades than the radars: increased weapons integration, electronic warfare measures, sensor fusion, and enhanced connectivity for networked operations. I have no idea if this announced spend includes any of that, or it’s just that the radars are that expensive (and that’s certainly possible). Perhaps someone else knows.
No other nation has bought these radars yet, which are supposed to be significantly better than the German Mk1 equivalent. I believe Italy will be buying them and there’s Saudi interest, but we are going first.
£11M per unit, baked in development and integration costs, plus the fitting of them and testing in airframe?
Unit cost (not installed) of the F-16’s new radar is just under $3M, but is far less capable; the F-35’s radar (closer parallel to the ECR MK2) is $5M per unit, not installed. But that’s across 1000+ airframes, so the development costs etc. are spread far wider, and some F-35 tech development costs weren’t directly baked into the individual equipment items either.
So, £11M for 40 all-in is, to be honest, not a bad price in my view. Especially as it’s simultaneously bringing down the development cost and risk of Tempest.
It’s mostly because the contract is spread over an uneconomical number of years to keep the annual payments small. All thanks to Rachel.
The number was confirmed under the previous government. Place blame where it’s reasonable. Feels like reaves gets blamed for a lot of stuff that has nothing to do with her.
This government have actually spent the money unlike the last that just talked about it.
Just not on defence
Unfair. Look at % of gdp sending over the last decade. It kept doing down until labour got into power and then it went up.
Agreed you can question how much it went up and if it was appropriate for the risk but at least it went up.
Also if you believe in defence who are you voting for. Conservatives that slashed it each year after they got into power as percentage of GDP or reform who’s leader put into power a convicted and confessed Russia spy that said same talking points as reform leader or the leader who has stood up in US congress calling for actions against the UK. I’m curious?
The contract is spread out to keep people busy.
If something else was funded the timeline could be closed up and the unit cost reduced.
Short term, half hearted nonsense. As usual. Might as well not have bothered but of course there is the benefit of placating Leonardo and getting a sound bite for the government.
The planned retirement date is 2040 for T2 and T3 Typhoon. So let’s say all 40 T3 have this radar by 2030 ( might be a few years sooner) that means 67 T2 will carry on with old radar tech as hours build and parts get cannabalised.
There are 41 F35B and “by the early 30s” the additional 17 F-35B and 12 F-35A should be here, let’s say by 2035 as a pessimist.
Those 12 F35A are for ” training” and pretend B61 compatibility.
By 2035 there will be about 110 aircraft with a modern radar at most……..and some tired T2s trying to used M-scan.
2 of those F35B squadrons might be deployed with the RN. F35B is a high maintenance beast with low availability.
Those F35s will be carrying very little choice of weapons made by Britain into the early 2030s.
Tranche 1 Tempest might optimistically be starting to come off the lines in 2035.
War footing my arse….
“2 of those F35B squadrons might be deployed with the RN. F35B is a high maintenance beast with low availability.”
Largely because of the tiny fleet of F35B we have that is below critical mass for maintainers and also critically for a forward positioned spares stockpile.
Spares holdings are all about statistics. If the fleet is too small the statistical variations is spares demands will spike of over the volumes of each SKU held periodically. The only solution is a much large stock of spares, which accountants hate but military needs as you cannot fight in a plane that cannot fly. That doesn’t then solve the issue of maintainers and again given the specialisations and statistical variations of those as well as human issues requires pure mass and that requires a larger fleet of F35B’s to justify more maintainers.
OM and accounting stats don’t work on under scale operations. Something that accountants and OM people are very bad at understanding.
Surely the central maintenance system means that usage data are across the whole built fleet, regardless of the customer nation and sovereign fleet size…
Yes, obvs.
But if you have a long tail failure part that you have one of any you need two in quick succession…..
Indeed. Consumption based materials requirements planning is limited by the Consumption data and willingness to hold expensive stock. Long lead times suggest more stock to deliver serviceability which is hard with low rate production. One part and four sovereign fleets in Europe for example would not assure serviceability.
excellent assessment of the true situation David- well done!
Good news but as always read between the lines only 40 to be up graded, why just 40? likely just no money about strange how defence spending has gone no where in nearly 2 years and the defence budget has gone up but orders have gone down, less kit in service than we had 2 years ago but the MOD is still skint, same old . same old year after year.
So….about ukp105 million per radar set on top of R&D. How much are the new build German spec tranche IV aircraft. ..seriously
Haaa.. sorry..ukp10.5….been a long day
Only 40 radars. We do not have money to order all 107 in one order. Too much money is being taken from the defence budget. We do need to keep the illegal migrants in comfort after all. Our RAF is now so small it is soon going to be pointless keeping a few fighters ready, to fail.
It’s a pity Healy can’t shake the same money tree as Miliband,he seems to have no problems getting £bn,s for his ‘department’.
That’s the impact of HM Treasury planning and why the Strategic Defence Review has Transformation to All-Of-Government meaning Foreign Office, HM Treasury and MoD align on the common understanding of objectives, costs and delivery respectively. Industry has to be flexible on capability and capacity so wants those long term demand signals that they can invest for..
The Peace Dividend delusion has allowed politicians to safeguard their electoral prospects by shifting Defence spending to social provision and even war in Europe hasn’t enabled them to pivot back to Defence.
Since all voters require Defence it’s essential that they communicate that to their representatives who might otherwise be supporting the noisy minority who demand benefits. Political dogma doesn’t help.
That’s why SDR transformation to All-Of-Nation is required so everyone cares about Defence because they are not safe.
Cost per radar is down to the number being supplied 40 odd. If we ordered more the unit costs per radar would be reduced (Most of the cost is in the develpment sorry you all know that). This is the same with everything we buy. Our Defence is effectively run by the treasury whether it is the Army, Navy or RAF. It is time that all treasury officials are forced to undertake the same security requirements as those in the MOD. I suspect a lot of them would fail to meet even bsaic levels.
Thus the SDR Transformation to All-Of-Government meaning Foreign Office, HM Treasury and MoD have a single view of objectives, costs and requirements respectively.
That does suggest that requirements must support objectives not just be gold plating.
Good to have a clear SDR Transformation agenda, but without objective measures of success visible to all stakeholders, it’s unlikely to happen. Let’s hope the Defence Select Committee have asked for those measures…
Will aesa Typhoons be able to datalink their radar picture to non AESA Typhoons with firing solution fidelity?
40 units. 107 Typhoons in service.
So we play roulette with our pilots and mission success.
Unbelievable….What a Mickey Mouse set up we have become.
Tip of the spear for SEAD within a larger mission package so not required to have the same capability across the whole fleet. F18G Growler has proven this approach.
One size fits all might have some maintenance benefit but components in the £Mn range require a sharper focus on taxpayer value.
…and I’m still waiting for at least a batch of 40+ Typhoons to be ordered by the MoD to act as a stop-gap and a clear indication that the ‘Labours’ really do understand the current threat situation. At least the penny is beginning to drop about the reliability of the Americans. Go CANADA, and shame on the UK for not supporting them more – they used to be our closest allies, not America.
Not unconnected with the Leonardo threat to reduce investment in the UK unless the new helicopter contract is awarded to them sharpish.
I expect they were told that the helicopter will be cancelled in the DIP but look at this huge contract we’ll give you for radars. Well, except its not that huge.
Are they ever l8kely to get thrust vectoring and all the other upgrades that were mooted 5 yrs ago.
By god the speed we make decisions at is cringeworthy
Hell no.
🤣🤣🤣, I thought I was good at sarcasm Halfwit, very good…
40 jets? FORTY? Why bother with any? This is so typical of mealy mouthed UK politicians. I despair.
Well that’s not right either. This Government has committed an additional £13bn to defence over the next 4 years. Defence spend will rise from £60.2bn in 2024/5 to £73.5bn in 2027/8. That is a 22%.rise, really the first since the end of the Cold War. Not half bad really surely, given that the last Chancellor left the coffers bare and a massive debt mountain.
Compare and contrast the new defence increase with the 22%.cut in defence spending between 2009 and 2017, which left us with a raft of elderly and obsolete equipment, sub-standard service accommodation, cut-back wespons stockpiles, etc.
Delusional nonsense.
Starmer’s crew has been steadily cutting Defence since he took office. Look at the numbers of ships, aircraft and army equipment taken out of service and the declining numbers of sailors, airman and soldiers.
And in their place, Starmer has ordered zero new ships, zero new aircraft and zero new vehicles.
All, of course, at pace and on a war footing.
We do not have ‘declining numbers of sailors, airmen and soldiers’ , where did you get that from? The establishment (I.e. authorised) trade-trained strength of the services remains at about 133,000. There has been no change to that figure so far since the current Government came into office.
Sure, a bundle of equipment, usually elderly or near-obsolete, has been withdrawn and/or gapped. That is a whole subject in itself which would need a long article to unpack.
One can argue that the navy, for instance, is losing 8 ships and this is a diminution of our naval standing etc. When you look at it in closer detail, not so much:
2 Albions (question mark over future large amphib landings?)
2 Wave tankers (surplus to requirements, when we have 4 Tides)
3 T23s so far (clapped out, due to last lost gapping frigate construction for 14 years)
1 Argus (Unseaworthy)
That is the legacy the RN has to overcome.
On the other side of the coin, RN has its first Castle MCMV getting shaped up, its first Proteus MROS likewise, another 4 of these ordered. 13 frigates ordered and entering service, starting next year, 7 new classes of uncrewed/optionally-manned UAVs, surface vessels and sub-sea ones anywhere from drawing board to trials. So it is not all bad.
My fear is that the RN, as always, will gobble up any new money on the table, when the priority right now is strengthening the air force and building the army back up.
None of it is easy, when the nuclear deterrent is eating up half the equipment budget.
You work for Labour Party Central and I claim my 5 pounds.
That was a reply to Grinch’s post above.
The actual cost of this new radar is £2.35bn. It was announced three months ago. (See UKDJ, Oct 30, 2025).
The £453m announced here is just Leonardo’s manufacturing element. There is a big integration and fitting phase to follow.
This is for the ECRS Mk 2 radar. It is being fitted.to the 40 tranche 3 Typhoons only. It works out at £59m per aircraft. That may be vast but it gives us a top notch AESA long-range radar with SEAD capability.
ECRS is not being fitted to the 67 tranche 2 Typhoons. We can assume they are adjudged fine for service until replaced by Tempest from 2035.
A lot of people complaining about “only 40” but this seems pretty sensible to me. Some of the Tranche 2’s will soon be relegated to low-perfomance duties like Falkland Islands flight and UK QRA, which will mean that Tranche 3 with the mk2 radar will make up almost half of the deployable force, and they should be able to identify and que targets for the Tranche 2’s. It would still be nice to get another 12+ new Typhoons with the new radar (and conformal tanks ideally), but I’m not sure there’s terribly much value in upgrading any of the others.
So its sensible to reply on 40 jets to defend the whole of the UK and it armed forces overseas??
As for cuing, that’s cow manure.
Fortunately, we are not reduced to 40 jets to defend the whole of the UK and its armed forces overseas. The current plan, unless amended by the DIP, is to increase the number of fast jet combat aircraft from the current 151 to 181, made up of:
40 Typhoon FGR4E
67 Typhoon FGR4
12 F-35A
62 F-35B
Of course that is not enough, we will have more than Spain, about the same number as Italy but 100 less than France or Germany. Look8ng at our wide area of responsibilities, that is not where we should be. In an ideal world, we could do with another 20 Typhoons in the air defence role and as many F-35As as we can get for the interdiction/strike job. But the available budget doesn’t permit, because we have to make up for 14+ years of underfunding and neglect right across the defence estate, the equipment inventory and munitions stockpiles.
Counting aircraft that haven’t been ordered let alone acquired. Nice job.
Maybe you should include gliders like at the last count.