The MOD has signed a contract worth almost £350 million
to support the engines that power the UK’s fleet of Typhoon fighter
jets.
The £346.7 million contract, signed with Rolls-Royce, will
provide maintenance support for the EJ200 engine up to 2024 as
the Typhoon continues to form the backbone of the RAF’s fighter
jet fleet.
Already this year, RAF Typhoon jets have led the fight against
Daesh in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Shader and
undertaken Baltic Air Policing mission with NATO partners, with
further NATO policing missions planned in Iceland later this
year.
Defence Minister said:
Not only will this contract help to maintain our world-class
jets, it secures 175 jobs across the UK and boosts the skills
base our world-leading defence industry relies upon.
Together with our multi-million-pound upgrade programme, this
contract will ensure our Typhoon fleet continues to dominate
the skies in the decades to come.
Approximately 175 Rolls-Royce jobs in Bristol, RAF Coningsby in
Lincolnshire and RAF Lossiemouth in Moray will be supported as
part of the contract.
Rolls-Royce will repair and maintain the Typhoon engines as
required by the RAF over the five-year period. They will also be
responsible for the provision of modules, spares and accessories
to support the aircraft fleet, including the transportation of
the equipment between RAF bases and the Rolls Royce manufacturing
facility in Bristol.
Air Marshal Young, Chief of Materiel
(Air), Defence Equipment & Support, said:
Typhoon is a formidable, battle-winning aircraft and the
backbone of UK Combat Airpower.
This new deal on EJ200 engine is demonstrable evidence that we
remain committed to working with our industrial partners to
drive down support costs and at the same time pursue excellence
and deliver great equipment to the Front Line.
The Typhoon force is operationally based at RAF Coningsby, RAF
Lossiemouth, the Falkland Islands and Amari Air Base in Estonia,
where the aircraft respond to potential threats to UK air space
in Quick Reaction Alerts. Since arriving in Estonia on 3rd May
this year, the fleet have already scrambled 14 times in response
to Russian activity over the Baltic Sea.
The Typhoon fleet has benefited from a £425 million upgrade
programme over the last three years. The fighter jets now have
deep strike cruise missile Storm Shadow, air-to-air missile
Meteor and the precision attack missile Brimstone at their
disposal. The RAF have also commenced trials on Typhoon of
BriteCloud, a drinks-can sized missile decoy system to protect
combat jets from the latest radar-guided missiles.
The Ministry of Defence invested £18.9 billion with UK industry
last year, equating to £290 per UK resident, which supported
115,000 jobs.
