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The fighter jets will be fitted with the European Common Radar System Mk2, forming part of the UK Ministry of Defence’s £2.35 billion package to upgrade the Typhoon.
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The investment into CRS Mk2 forms the first tranche of the package, which will keep the aircraft operational until 2040 “and beyond”.
The “state-of-the-art” system will provide the Typhoon with advanced electronic warfare capabilities, ensuring that the aircraft can engage land and air targets.
It will also enable the aircraft to suppress air defence systems with high-powered jamming.
The CRS Mk2 will be built into the RAF Typhoon Tranche 3, with delivery expected towards the end of the decade.
“The RAF Typhoon is one of the most mission-ready and capable aircraft anywhere in the world helping protect our skies at home and abroad,” Minister for Defence Procurement James Cartlidge said.
“This £870 million contract award is an investment in the future readiness and preparedness of our fighter jets, so that we can continue to showcase our world-leading air capability.”
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed the United Kingdom will export the capability to other nations that operate the Typhoon Tranche 3, with the systems set to be developed in Leonardo UK’s Edinburgh and Luton facilities and integrated in Warton by BAE Systems.
Amid an increasingly hostile global environment, Group Captain Matt D’Aubyn, DACOS Control of the Air, Typhoon program director, believes the upgrades will help British Typhoons remain operationally impactful.
“Typhoon is the backbone of UK Combat Air, capable of completing a wide range of air-to-air and air-to-surface missions. ECRS Mk2 will ensure Typhoon remains operationally effective in the future force mix in an ever-increasing contested environment.”
More contracts are scheduled to follow the CRS Mk2.
To Vice Admiral Rick Thompson, DE&S director general, onshoring advanced capabilities will have flow-on benefits for the Future Combat Air System.
“This is the first of a number of contracts that will continue our journey to equip the RAF with the edge to protect our nation,” VADM Thompson explained.
“Developing ECRS Mk2 not only provides cutting-edge capability but crucially, also ensures that advanced technical skills and expertise in delivering complex sensors are available to support the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) right here in the UK.”
