Fylde MP Mark Menzies has expressed his delight at Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmation of an extended £656 million contract for BAE systems and its partners for the development of the Tempest project, the working name for the UK’s next generation of fighter jet. Tempest is due to replace the Typhoon, also manufactured in Lancashire, and received a boost last year when Japan and Italy confirmed their involvement as part of the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP).
In total, the awarding of the contract brings Government spending on the project to £2 billion and will be used to fund the next round of research and engineering, ahead of the aircraft’s entry into Royal Air Force service in 2035.
Mr Menzies said “This is a hugely significant sum of money to be awarded and is the latest demonstration of the Government’s commitment to the project and our international allies involved in it”
“There has been much talk about potential since Team Tempest was launched in 2018, today’s announcement brings the project one step closer to reality.
I am incredibly proud of the role that the highly skilled men and women working at BAE Warton have played in the project to date and I cannot wait to see the first Tempest prototypes take to the skies later this decade”.
The development of Future Combat Air Systems (FCAS) is set to revolutionise aerospace capability, utilising the very latest developments in digital technologies, and opening the door to greater use of virtual environments and unmanned aircraft.
BAE systems are developing the project in partnership with Leonardo UK, MBDA UK and Rolls-Royce, with a wider supply chain involving around 600 smaller firms. Across the UK there are nearly 3,000 people working on the project, including 1200 at BAE’s sites in Warton, BAE’s cutting edge ‘factory of the future’, and at Salmesbury.
Many of the employees at these sites joined the company in apprentice or graduate roles, something Mr Menzies was quick to point out, saying
“This is a massive vote of confidence in the world leading skills we have in Fylde and the work being done here to defend the United Kingdom. I am delighted that Government backing for the project will secure countless well-paid local, including many entry level roles, for years to come”
“As a champion of small businesses, I also know that there are countless SMEs across the country who are also playing their part in the supply chain”