MoD defends Eurofighter purchase

Friday, 17 December 2004 12:00 AM

The Ministry of Defence has strongly defended its decision to purchase 89 new Eurofighter (Typoon) aircraft.

It says that the planes will be invaluable to RAF - but critics question the performance of the aircraft and point to rising costs and excessive delays that have dogged the project.

The Typoon aircraft was designed in 1983 to counter the Soviet Union's fighter aircraft. A joint project between Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy it has taken over 20 years to complete, and has come in significantly over budget. Britain's initial 55 aircraft are not yet in active service but are undergoing tests at BAE Systems' site in Lancashire.

Speaking today the Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, said the purchase "is not only excellent news for the RAF but also for UK industry and the UK workforce."

"Typhoon will be a genuinely world class, multi-role combat aircraft that will serve as a cornerstone of the RAF's fighting capability over the next 30 years. It will deliver both offensive air and air defence capabilities enabling us to meet the Defence challenges of the 21st century.

"In addition Typhoon represents one of the largest, if not the largest, European defence investment to date. Certainly it is the largest for the RAF, providing 89 Tranche 2 aircraft, in addition to the 55 Tranche 1 aircraft already on order, and represents a future investment of £4.3 billion."

He argued that the order would provide major benefits across the UK and "at the peak of manufacture, industry expects it to create or sustain some 16,000 jobs with defence manufacturers, many in areas of high-technology, and a significant number in supporting industries across the economy more widely."

Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup also insisted on the planes' quality, saying: "Typhoon brings real capability improvement and will enable us to seize and maintain control of the air in operations to come. It is a cornerstone of our vision for network-enabled capability - linking sensors, decision makers and weapon systems in a way that enables us to transform information into precise and overwhelmingly swift military effect. Typhoon is an adaptable and flexible combat aircraft that will enable us to meet the demands and challenges of an uncertain future."

But Liberal Democrats said the Government should not buy any more aircraft.

Defence spokesman Paul Keetch, said: "Members of the infantry regiments affected by yesterday's announcements will rightly find it strange that the MoD can find the money for fast jets.

"We supported the procurement of the first two waves of Eurofighter, but the Government should not be buying any more after today."

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