£453m jet radar plan will secure 1,300 jobs

JOHN Healey is set to announce a £453 million investment to fit Typhoon fighter jets with “cutting-edge” radar systems, securing up to 1,300 jobs.

- 

John Healey

The Defence Secretary is visiting Leonardo UK’s Edinburgh site this morning where he will confirm the award of a contract to upgrade the RAF’s Typhoon fleet.

Under the new contract, defence firms BAE Systems, Leonardo UK and Parker Meggitt will equip the aircraft with state-of-the-art radar systems over the coming years.

In addition to securing 300 skilled roles in Edinburgh, the work will secure 120 jobs in Lancashire and more than 100 in Luton.

In all, the full Typhoon programme supports more than 20,000 jobs across 330 UK companies.