A £317 million contract to develop the next generation of radar for the Royal Air Force’s Eurofighter Typhoons will sustain hundreds of highly skilled jobs in Edinburgh, Luton and Lancashire.

BAE Systems and Leonardo have been awarded a contract to develop the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA), the European Common Radar System Mark 2(ECRS Mk2) radar, to a standard ready to be integrated on to RAF Typhoons.

The contract will sustain more than 600 jobs across the UK, including more than 300 at Leonardo’s site at Crewe Toll in Edinburgh, over 100 electronic warfare specialists at the company’s site in Luton, and 120 engineers at BAE Systems’ site in Lancashire.

Andrea Thompson, Managing Director Europe & International for BAE Systems’ Air sector, said: “This capability will allow Typhoon to take its place in the future battlespace for decades to come, maturing key technologies for future combat air systems and ensuring interoperability.

“As well as securing highly skilled jobs, it will sustain the key skills needed to keep the UK at the forefront of the global Combat Air sector.

“We look forward to continuing to work alongside the Eurofighter nations and our industry partners to ensure Typhoon delivers the needs of today and answers the challenges of tomorrow.”

Mark Hamilton, Senior Vice-President Electronic Warfare, Leonardo, said: “This contract is great news for the UK, which will get the world’s most capable fighter radar, and great news for British engineering.

“Inventing, developing and building advanced technology here in the UK allows us to understand and meet the specific requirements of our Armed Forces and to secure export orders all around the world, boosting the whole UK economy.”