£650M upgrade for Typhoon

Air January 26, 2026

RAF Typhoon fighter jets and Army Air Corps Apache helicopters were involved in the training exercise off the coast of Estonia,

The UK Government has announced a combined investment exceeding £650 million to upgrade the Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon fighter jet fleet, a move designed to secure over 1,500 highly skilled jobs and reinforce the UK’s sovereign combat air capability.

This funding, confirmed during a visit by Defence Secretary John Healey to Leonardo UK’s facility in Edinburgh, aligns with the Strategic Defence Review’s commitment to maintaining the Typhoon as a central component of Britain’s air defence and NATO commitments.

The largest portion of this investment is a £453 million contract awarded to a consortium of UK industrial partners, including BAE Systems, Leonardo UK, and Parker Meggitt. This contract focuses on the manufacture and integration of the European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2. This advanced radar system provides the RAF with sophisticated electronic surveillance and electronic attack capabilities, enabling pilots to detect, identify, and track multiple targets simultaneously on the ground and in the air, while providing high-powered jamming functions in contested environments. The production of these 40 radar systems will sustain approximately 300 roles in Edinburgh, 120 in Lancashire, and 100 in Luton, supporting a wider supply chain that encompasses more than 330 UK-based companies.

In addition to the radar manufacture, a £205 million contract has been awarded to QinetiQ for long-term specialist engineering support. This agreement ensures the continued airworthiness and safety of the Typhoon weapon system, sustaining an additional 250 jobs across the UK. For sub-contractors and businesses within the defence supply chain, these contracts provide long-term stability and a clear signal of continued government expenditure on the Typhoon platform, which is expected to remain in service until at least the 2040s.

The Ministry of Defence has framed this investment as part of a broader strategy to utilise defence spending as a catalyst for national economic growth. This is further supported by the government’s commitment to increase defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027. The Typhoon programme currently supports over 20,000 jobs nationally, and recent export successes, such as the £8 billion deal secured with Türkiye in late 2025, suggest a robust future for the platform’s international presence. For UK industry, these developments offer significant opportunities for technological innovation and long-term participation in one of Europe’s most critical aerospace programmes, ensuring the RAF maintains its operational advantage against evolving global threats.

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