£6bn Eurofighter deal safeguards 5,000 jobs
Some 5,000 jobs have been safeguarded at Warton in Lancashire by BAE Systems’ £6bn deal to supply 24 Eurofighter Typhoons to the Qatar government.
The agreement was announced yesterday (Sunday, December 10) in Doha by Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson and his Qatari opposite number, Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah.
The deal also includes an agreement with MBDA, based in Bolton, for Brimstone and Meteor missiles and the highly-accurate Raytheon’s Paveway IV UK-manufactured weapon for the jets.
The Qatar government has also signalled a clear intention to proceed with the purchase of Hawk aircraft.
Williamson said: “These formidable jets will boost the Qatari military’s mission to tackle the challenges we both share in the Middle East, supporting stability in the region and delivering security at home.
“As we proudly fly the flag for our world-leading aerospace sector all over the globe this news is a massive vote of confidence, supporting thousands of British jobs and injecting billions into our economy.”
The aircraft will be assembled in Warton, securing work on the production line into the next decade, as a result of the the biggest export deal for the Typhoon project in a decade.
The Defence Secretary also agreed a package of training and co-operation between the Air Forces which will see them working together more regularly, including Qatari pilots and ground-crew training in the UK.
