MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
News Release (051/2009) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 4
March 2009
The RAF's
advanced Typhoon fighter jet is to be maintained and supported by
industry under an innovative partnering arrangement that will
create up to 150 highly-skilled new jobs and sustain a further 350
at its peak, Minister for Defence Equipment & Support, Quentin
Davies announced today.
The five-year £450M contract has been placed with BAE Systems for
initial delivery and further development of the Typhoon
Availability Service (TAS). This will be centred at RAF
Coningsby, the main operating base for the Typhoon fleet, over the
next few years, but also includes the BAE Systems sites at Warton
and Samlesbury.
Minister for Defence Equipment & Support, Quentin Davies said:
"This is excellent news for both the MoD and UK industry
with the creation of some 150 new jobs, mostly at RAF Coningsby,
over the five-year term of this initial contract. The Typhoon
programme directly employs some 16,000 aerospace and engineering
staff in some of the UK's leading companies, and many more
throughout the supply chain - this is important militarily and
industrially to the UK.
"This contract will ensure the Typhoon fleet is able to meet
its operational commitments and will continue to deliver as a
world-class capability as the cornerstone of the UK's air
defence capabilities. We are committed to building strong
partnering arrangements with UK industry, in this case to get more
efficient support for our front-line Typhoon fighter force."
The Typhoon Integrated Project Team Leader, Air Commodore Chris
Bushell, said:
"Today's announcement is intended to maximise aircraft
availability by using the most cost-effective solution. Typhoon
has now been operational in the air defence role for well over a
year and a multi-role capability was integrated and declared
combat ready by the RAF in July 2008. The signature of the TAS
contract builds on this success."
Notes to Editors:
1. The future support of the Typhoon aircraft is focussed around
building partnering arrangements with BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce
for both the aircraft and engines. TAS represents the culmination
of the work undertaken with BAE Systems on support for the
aircraft and its systems, excluding the engine.
2. TAS will play a major role in ensuring the availability of the
Typhoon fleet to meet its standing and future operational
commitments, drawing on best practice and lessons learnt on
previous MoD and BAE Systems support arrangement contracts.
3. Overall management of TAS will be conducted jointly at RAF
Coningsby by senior representatives of the MoD and BAE Systems.
This management activity will be responsible for ensuring that the
priorities of TAS are aligned with the requirements for aircraft availability.
4. TAS will initially be a five year contract, which is
anticipated to be followed by a longer 10 year contract, drawing
on the lessons learned and experience gained in the initial
period. Currently over 200 BAE Systems employees work on the TAS
contract across RAF Coningsby and the BAE Systems sites of
Samlesbury and Warton. This will grow to 500 by the end of 2009.
VITAL STATISTICS (GENERAL TO ALL TYPHOON AIRCRAFT)
Powerplant
Two Eurojet EJ200 turbojets
Thrust: 20,000lbs each
Dimensions
Length: 15.96m
Wingspan: 11.09m
Height:
5.29m
Weight: 21 tonnes
Speed: Approx Mach 2
Ceiling:
55,000ft
Aircrew: One
Weapon Systems
Planned to include:
Missiles: Storm
Shadow, Brimstone, Meteor, AMRAAM and ASRAAM
Bombs: Enhanced
Paveway II, Paveway IV
Gun: Mauser 27mm