Trade union Unite has repeated its call for the UK government to order a further batch of Eurofighter Typhoons for Royal Air Force (RAF) use, after reporting that BAE Systems has concluded final assembly of the type against existing contracts.
“Production lines for the Typhoon fighter jet in Warton, Lancashire [have] ground to a halt,” Unite said on 7 July. “Hundreds of workers at the site… have had to be transferred to other BAE factories or to RAF bases as there are no further domestic or export orders for the Typhoon,” it claims.
“The MoD [Ministry of Defence] must now urgently announce its commitment to the Typhoon with an order for the latest, cutting-edge T5 [Tranche 5] Typhoons to replace the ageing RAF fighters being retired,” says Unite general secretary Sharon Graham, referring to the removal from use of the UK’s Tranche 1-standard jets.
“A failure to do this could destroy a generation of aerospace workers and would amount to an act of national self-harm,” she adds.
Unite warns that a failure to address a production gap ahead of the planned introduction from 2035 of a sixth-generation fighter via the Global Combat Air Programme between Italy, Japan and the UK would mean “vital skills will be lost”.
The MoD has given no indication of interest in acquiring additional Typhoons for the RAF, whereas the UK’s Eurofighter programme partners Germany, Italy and Spain have all moved to bolster their fleets. Instead, London’s recently-published Strategic Defence Review document gave its support for a planned major upgrade programme for the Typhoon.
While it does not intend to acquire more of the type, the UK government is heading export campaigns in Saudi Arabia and Turkey. If secured, such government-to-government deals would total dozens of jets, with Riyadh’s requirement alone being for 54 aircraft.
But noting that no such orders have yet been secured, Unite national officer for aerospace Rhys McCarthy states: “The [UK] government needs to place an order for new Typhoons yesterday.”
BAE had most recently been completing Typhoons for export customer Qatar, but Doha has now received all 24 jets covered by its order.
Responding to the union’s statements, BAE notes: “We are experienced at responding to the changing demands of the Typhoon programme to ensure we retain our specialist skills.
“The strong level of interest, commitment and investment in the aircraft from current and potential customers gives us confidence that Typhoon production in the UK will take us into the next decade.
“We are working hard to secure these [export] orders, which are critical to secure the UK’s long-term sovereign combat air capability,” the company adds.
Unite also in late-June slammed a UK government decision to order at least 12 Lockheed Martin F-35As, arguing that it should prioritise safeguarding Typhoon production. However, that acquisition will enable the RAF to declare nuclear-armed assets in support of NATO’s dual-capable aircraft mission: the Eurofighter is unable to carry such weapons.
The union claims that only 3% by value of each F-35 manufactured is built in the UK, noting that equipment including the stealth fighter’s BAE-supplied electronic warfare and self-protection system and the short take-off and vertical landing F-35B variant’s Rolls-Royce Lift Fan system are produced in the USA.
BAE produces rear-fuselage sections for the Lockheed fighter at its Samlesbury site in Lancashire. That site also manufactures structures for those Eurofighters assembled by its industry partners Airbus Defence & Space and Leonardo in Germany, Italy and Spain.
