Warton, United Kingdom: BAE Systems has been awarded a five year contract worth in the region of £150m by Eurofighter GmbH to provide an avionic equipment repair support service on the Typhoon fleets for the air forces of Germany, Spain and the UK.

The contract changes the current repair contracting method on Typhoon by placing an incentive on BAE Systems to provide resolution to technical problems more quickly and to continue to reduce the volume of repair activity undertaken.  Under the contract BAE Systems will provide a range of repair services leading to much reduced support costs, improved reliability of the equipment and the transfer of risk to industry that traditionally was held by the customer. As with every contract undertaken by BAE Systems there will be no compromise on safety.

BAE Systems has equipment design responsibility for a number of avionic equipments within the Typhoon fleet and will work closely with seven key suppliers to deliver the repair support service within guaranteed turn-round times. 

Chris Boardman, Managing Director of Typhoon Mission Support & International Programmes at BAE Systems said: “This contract award demonstrates BAE Systems commitment to the reduction in the through-life support costs for the Typhoon fleet which was a key requirement of the Tranche 3a contract award last year. Our customers will benefit from improved reliability and a reduction in support costs allowing them to deliver a more efficient and cost effective frontline capability. This solution also shows the commitment BAE Systems has to supporting our customers’ military objectives.”

This contract underlines the Company’s capabilities in the area of readiness and sustainment and is the latest in a number of Typhoon support contracts awarded in the last year. In 2009 BAE Systems was awarded a five year, £450 million contract by the UK MoD for the maintenance and support of Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft, to meet current and future operational commitments.  Later that year the Company secured two further support contracts. The first a five and a half year contract worth more than £400m to provide support for the radar and defensive aids sub systems (DASS) on the Typhoon fleets for the air forces of Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. The second support contract was with the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF). This contract includes training in the United Kingdom for RSAF Typhoon pilots and Typhoon multi-skilled aircraft technicians.

Source: BAe Systems
Picture: Marcel van Leeuwen, ZAP16 group