FIA 2016: BAE Systems and MoD partner to support UK Typhoons
BAE Systems has entered a 10 year partnership arrangement with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to support the UK Typhoon fleet, in a deal expected to be worth £2.1 billion which could also see more than £500m of savings reinvested to develop new capabilities for the aircraft.
Courtesy BAE Systems
Working in partnership with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Leonardo-Finmeccanica, the arrangement will introduce new ways of working to further reduce the costs of operating the fleet at RAF Coningsby and RAF Lossiemouth by more than a third.
Courtesy BAE Systems
The award will sustain hundreds of high value jobs at sites across the UK, including at Typhoon’s Main Operating Base at RAF Coningsby and BAE Systems’ site in Warton, Lancashire.
For the first time in the support of the UK Typhoon fleet, the formal Typhoon Total Availability eNnterprise (TyTAN) agreement, which is expected to be signed shortly, will combine contracts with suppliers from across Europe into a single programme. It will include a joint avionics solution with Leonardo-Finmeccanica. This builds on the former Typhoon Availability Support contract that BAE Systems delivered to the RAF over the last seven years.
Minister for Defence Procurement, Philip Dunne (right), BAe Group Managing Director Nigel Whitehead(left) and Air Vice Marshal Julian Young CB OBE Chief of Materiel (Air) Defence Equipment and Support Organisatin and Chief Engineer (RAF) in front of a Typhoon model.
Crown Copyright.
Minister for Defence Procurement, Philip Dunne MP, said: “This will be an exciting, innovative support arrangement for our Typhoon aircraft, and will help ensure Typhoon continues to meet the RAF’s future operational requirements, including replacing our Tornado jets from 2019.
“It represents a substantial change in the way support is provided, optimising and driving efficiency through improved ways of working.”
Chief Executive Officer at the MoD’s Defence Equipment and Support organisation, Tony Douglas, said: "This 10-year Typhoon support arrangement is the product of close cooperation between MOD and Industry, who are both focussed on maximising efficiencies to identify savings and re-invest these in the aircraft.
"This innovative deal not only shows how committed we are to providing state-of-the-art equipment for our Armed Forces, but how we are also providing the taxpayer with value for money."
Chris Boardman, Managing Director of BAE Systems Military Air & Information, said: “Combining support arrangements into one programme will help to increase reliability and availability of the fleet, whilst making it cheaper to support. The efficiency savings generated will enable new capabilities to be developed for the RAF Typhoon aircraft.
“We’ve worked with partners across our supply chain to drive improvements ensuring that we deliver the lowest possible costs to the MoD. We are extremely pleased that the agreement will extend our close working relationship with the MoD and will enable us to continue to support the Typhoon fleet until 2026 as it continues to perform its vital role in safeguarding our nation at home and overseas.”
Courtesy Andrea Kay / BAE Systems
The Typhoon force is currently operationally based at RAF Coningsby (Lincolnshire), RAF Lossiemouth (Scotland) and the Falkland Islands, where the aircraft provide Quick Reaction Alert.