Typhoon export deal will secure BAE jobs
Tuesday 8 November 2011 10:49 AM
Jobs at a pair of Lancashire jet-building factories will be secured if a £6billion order to sell aircraft to Japan is won.
Andy Latham, senior business development executive at BAE Systems, said parts for the 40 jets due to be ordered would be built at the firm’s factories at Warton and Samlesbury, near Preston, if it succeeded in landed an order to sell its Eurofighter Typhoon jets.
The consortium submitted its bid in September against competition from the US-built F-35 and F-18 aircraft and expects to get an answer from Japan’s defence chiefs by the end of the year.
It would be a lift for workers at BAE’s factories at Warton and Samlesbury, near Preston, which have been rocked by plans to cut 1,300 jobs on the back of defence spending cuts.
Mr Latham said: “Japan has a very capable defence industry which has built fighters for the past 40 years, but there would be significant work in the UK and Europe.
“The major units would be supplied from Europe with final assembly completed in Japan.
“It is good quality work producing major units and providing technical expertise on a number of areas.”
The bid from the four-nation Typhoon consortium, which includes defence firms in Germany, Italy and Spain, has offered the Japan “sovereign control” over manufacturing, support and upgrade on the jets.
Mr Latham said the value of the bid “compared favourably” with the rival US bids but admitted it would be a coup for the European bid to land the work with Japan having bought American aircraft in recent years.
He said the Japanese would be “very well-informed” on the planned slow-down of production for Typhoon among its European partners which has led to the latest round of job cuts, but insisted it would not impact the export bid.
The BAE chief said: “They understand the UK’s position in terms of recent events but I do not believe it has a negative impact. I think our partnership with Government is strong and a positive impact.
“Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary, was in Tokyo last week and was actively supporting our export capabilities.”
Eurofighter is also in the running for a £6bn order to sell 126 jets to the Indian air force.
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