RAF Typhoons to get new radar as part of £2.35bn upgrade

The Royal Air Force will upgrade most of its fleet of Eurofighter Typhoon jets under a £2.35bn programme that will extend the service life of one of the mainstays of the UK’s fighter fleet beyond 2040.

The two-part refit will initially see 40 of the newest versions of the aircraft fitted with a powerful new radar that will allow pilots to simultaneously detect and track and guide weapons on to multiple targets in the air and on the ground. It will also give the aircraft new electronic warfare capabilities.

The radar, known as the European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk 2, will be installed by the end of the decade on the latest “tranche three” Typhoons. They will also receive various other upgrades to enhance navigation and integrate new weapons.

Another 67 second generation Typhoon’s will receive a more limited upgrade, including to their mission and navigation computers, although Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, the head of the RAF, said it was an “aspiration” to fit those aircraft with the new radar at a later date. The oldest 30 jets in the 137-strong fleet will not be upgraded as they are due to be retired by 2025.

The programme, which has suffered a series of delays, will give the Typhoons a new “electronic attack” capability that will allow them to jam and disable enemy air defences, a key requirement in modern air warfare.

Some 1,300 engineers are working on the programme, which is led by BAE Systems, one of the four European defence contractors that designed and built the aircraft. The radar is designed and built by the UK subsidiary of Italy’s Leonardo, another member of the Eurofighter consortium.

The “technological enhancements” will “maintain the cutting-edge capabilities” of the Typhoon, Jeremy Quin, minister for defence procurement, said on Friday. “It’s vital the UK remains at the forefront of military capabilities to be able to deter and defend,” he added.

The Typhoon is one of the UK’s two main combat aircraft, alongside the US-designed F-35 stealth fighter, and has accounted for 80 per cent of the country’s defence industry exports over the past decade. These include deals to supply the aircraft to Saudi Arabia and a recent £500mn contract to manufacture 20 additional jets for the Spanish air force.

The programme will also help protect highly-skilled engineering jobs to support the development of the RAF’s next-generation Tempest fighter, which is due to enter service in the mid-2030s.

The Typhoon programme supported more than 20,000 jobs across the UK in 2020, according to a report by Oxford Economics on Friday that was jointly commissioned by BAE and Leonardo.

It employs 6,500 workers directly, mainly at BAE and Leonardo sites in the north-west, Midlands and the east of England, as well as Scotland.

Andrea Thompson, managing director of Europe & International at BAE Systems, said the latest investment would help “create the next generation of engineers, manufacturers and aircraft technicians.”