BAE, Leonardo win £317m Eurofighter radar contract
Arms manufacturer BAE Systems and defence electronics group Leonardo said they had won a £317m contract to develop the next generation of radar for the Royal Air Force's (RAF) Eurofighter Typhoons.
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BAE on Thursday said the deal would sustain more than 600 jobs, including more than 300 at Leonardo's site in Edinburgh, 100 electronic warfare specialists at the company’s site in Luton, and 120 engineers at BAE Systems' site in Lancashire.
The contract involves developing the European Common Radar System Mark 2(ECRS Mk2) radar, to a standard ready to be integrated on to RAF Typhoons.
It will equip RAF pilots with the ability to locate, identify and suppress enemy air defences using high-powered jamming, BAE said in a statement.
BAE Systems, the UK’s prime contractor for the Typhoon, will integrate the new sensor which will be developed by Leonardo, it added.
Both companies are currently working as part of a four-nation development programme alongside Eurofighter consortium partners in Germany, Spain and Italy on a baseline version of the radar. The ECRS Mk2 is a completely new approach designed to meet the operational needs of the RAF and future export customers.
The UK's commitment follows a similar commitment from Germany and Spain to deliver their own national requirements for an Active Electronically Scanned Array radar.