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Aircraft (Available Support)

I am pleased to announce that the Ministry of Defence has signed a five year contract with BAE Systems, worth around £450 million, for the provision of an availability support service to the Typhoon fleet of aircraft. This innovative partnering arrangement will create up to 150 highly skilled new jobs, mostly at RAF Coningsby and sustain a further 350 at its peak. The Typhoon programme directly employs some 16,000 aerospace and engineering staff at various locations across the UK, and many more throughout the supply chain. This new contract adds to and sustains this number. The programme is very important to the UK from both the military and industrial perspective. This contract will see BAE Systems taking a major role in ensuring the availability of the Typhoon fleet to meet its standing and operational commitments and demonstrates the Ministry of Defence’s commitment to partnering British industry to get more efficient support for our front-line Typhoon fighter force.