How BAE keeps the Eurofighter Typhoon UK final assembly line ready for GCAP

British Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon carrying out NATO air security missions (UK Ministry of Defense)

Belfast When the Emir of Qatar visits Britain this week, his trip will be closely watched in the city of Preston, about 250 miles northwest of London.

That's because Preston is home to BAE Systems' Warton facility, where final assembly of the Eurofighter Typhoon takes place. And it is hoped that Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will use his trip to announce a new order for fourth-generation jets, the Gulf's lifeline, that could help prevent line cooling once and for all.

The Wharton facility is expected to produce the final two Typhoon airframes by the end of 2025, the last of a previous order of 24 jets from Qatar. However, the future of the British-made Typhoon is unclear after that.

A BAE Systems spokeswoman was adamant that the British defense company had no plans to close the Wharton facility. “There is absolutely no such proposal,” he said, pointing to potential international orders. Analysts and BAE executives say Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are all viable options for future orders.

But for Steve McGuinness, a key union figure who started the storm in Britain with a letter to lawmakers imploring the British government to invest in the Wharton Line, as well as the future of the Typhoon program itself, Things don't seem very comforting. But for the future of Britain's advanced fighter aircraft production.

“We have serious concerns that there will be no GCAP without a domestic order for the typhoon. [Global Combat Air Programme] Because the skills needed to build and fly aircraft have been lost,” wrote McGuinness, a member of the Unite union’s aerospace and defense executive committee.

BAE could retain at least some of the work, along with research and development efforts for future projects, and redeploy staff currently working at the Warton plant to other parts of the Typhoon business and to separate air combat projects run by the company.

But at the end of the day, the best way to keep the Typhoon lineup running and maintain the workforce hired ahead of GCAP is to sell more Typhoons. And the jet is flying against a significant headwind.

JJ Gertler, senior analyst at Teal Group, said the world is moving into a new generation. In recent years the Typhoon market has catered to countries purchasing more for diplomatic purposes rather than performance criteria.

state of play

Following McGinnis' letter, the British conservative publication Spectator published an article titled The sad death of the Eurofighter Typhoon. That letter turned into headline news.

“I think if you were the leader of BAE Systems you probably wouldn’t have looked favorably on the report coming out of the coalition.” Former British Royal Air Force Air Marshal Gary Waterfall told Breaking Defense. “It seems a bit biased,” he says of production projections.

There remains significant interest in the Typhoon and we are currently pursuing a number of orders in the Middle East and Europe, in addition to additional orders from our European Eurofighter partners, which were well-known in recent media reports, the BAE response added. Additional orders will expand production beyond the second half of this decade.

According to analysts, further sales options are limited as the world is transitioning to a more advanced system than the 4.5-generation Typhoon.

“Higher levels of stealth capabilities have become the cost of entry into almost every fighter market, and systems like the F-35 are often replacing advanced fighters,” Gertler said. “For some of the missions that remain for Typhoon, such as airborne policing, less complex and expensive systems can be used to accomplish the same tasks at lower acquisition and operating costs.”

Typhoon is produced in four European partner countries: Britain (BAE), Germany (Airbus), Italy (Leonardo) and Spain (Airbus). Each company has its own final assembly line to put the finishing touches on planes for its own military or foreign customers. Manufacturers driving export sales are usually granted final assembly rights. The UK is the biggest exporter of Eurofighters in campaigns involving Qatar, Türkiye and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Britain's failure to commit to a new order for 24 Eurofighter Typhoons was the most significant of the issues raised by McGuiness, while London's failure to replace its older Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 1 jets (scheduled to be phased out in 2025) with additional orders from Lockheed There are also sidewalks. Martin F-35. London last purchased a Typhoon in 2009 as part of a joint deal for 112 aircraft with Eurofighter partner nations. London cited the need to retire aircraft with limited usefulness in a digital and future operating environment, according to its 2021 Defense Order document. [PDF] With the motivation to ax the Tranche 1 jet.

McGuiness's letter warned against such a decision to acquire the F-35, saying it would “deal a major blow to the UK aircraft industry and potentially end the design, manufacture and assembly of fast jets in this country, causing serious damage to our sovereign capabilities”. “You can,” he defined.

A Royal Saudi Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon arrives at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, England, ahead of Exercise Cobra Warrior (Royal Air Force, United Kingdom).

More Typhoon Sales Potential

Despite the lack of domestic interest in more Typhoons and the F-35's recent sweep of global competition from the Eurofighter, analysts said BAE was not wrong in its reasons for optimism thanks to potential sales to the Middle East.

Turkey has said it wants to purchase 40 Eurofighters. Turkish Defense Minister Yazar Guller said Germany, which had recently opposed the agreement, had responded “positively” to the agreement.

In January, Germany lifted a block on sales to Saudi Arabia, paving the way for a long-delayed second tranche of aircraft orders – adding 72 to operational ones – to materialize. No firm agreement has yet been reached, but it could be on the agenda when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits Britain next month as part of a trip to the Middle East that includes a trip to the United Arab Emirates.

“The Turkish campaign is very active and a top priority,” said Richard Aboulafia, managing director of consulting firm AeroDynamic Advisory. “There is a good chance it will be successful. The same goes for the second Saudi tranche. But Britain is lucky. [Typhoon] The production line is most likely to survive 10 years in final assembly in all four partner countries.”

Likewise, it is “not inconceivable” that Typhoon production across partner countries could increase “by the early to mid-2030s, given some of the export campaigns that are underway,” added Douglas Barrie, senior fellow for military aerospace. . International Institute for Strategic Studies, UK.

The UK has also invested ₹2.4 billion ($3 billion) in the Typhoon's capability development package, following which BAE has been contracted to provide the European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk 2, an advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. It has been concluded.

A BAE Systems spokesperson added: “These upgrades are designed to support technology and technology development in preparation for the next-generation fighter aircraft, Tempest/GCAP.”

A UK Ministry of Defense spokesperson said: “Current plans indicate the Typhoon will remain in service with the Royal Air Force until at least 2040 and we are committed to ensuring that this vital capability remains at the cutting edge of UK and NATO combat air forces until it is retired.” . .

Kevin Craven, CEO of ADS Group, the British aerospace and defense trade body, said: “Decades-old programs such as those created at Warton are part of the UK’s ongoing commitment to supporting global defense and security and developing deeper strategic international alliances for the UK. “It shows dedication,” he said. I sent an email to Breaking Defense. “Our supply chain is resilient but is challenged by mixed signals from the UK government.”

GCAP (Global Combat Air Programme) key vehicle concept (Breaking Defense) on display at DSEI in London

GCAP Development

Another reason for Warton's optimism is GCAP's importance as a geopolitical calling card, not only for BAE but for the UK. The next-generation program is tied to Italy and Japan, and if its French-German-Spanish FCAS/SCAF competitors lag behind, it could emerge as the non-F-35 jet of choice for the Western world.

Due to the importance of GCAP, it is likely that some production will continue at Warton even if the Eurofighter crashes.

When building bridges between generations, design work is usually more important than production work. This is the Eurofighter upgrade problem. [of] Aboulafia said this is as important or more important than the survival of the production line.

Should there be some kind of bridge to GCAP? I think so. But the bridge doesn't look like a Eurofighter, especially given Britain's current austerity defense posture, Gertler added.

Barrie suggested that Typhoon trials using Autonomous Joint Platforms (ACPs), the British term for joint combat aircraft, could be developed in the near future.

There is clearly an ambition to introduce ACP. It predates GCAP, probably by about 10 years. So, it can be said that integrating ACP functionality with Typhoon will require some technology and R&D, he said.

The RAF is expected to receive its first operationally useful ACP before the end of the financial year, Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton, RAF Chief of Air Staff, said earlier this month. The UK did not specify which ACP it has chosen, but it will be a Tier 1 or single-use type. London also expects to operate its ACP suite by 2030, in line with its ACP strategy.

Barrie said the sooner such capabilities are developed and produced, the better in terms of generating combat power.

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