The MOD has signed a contract worth almost £350m to support the engines that power the UK’s fleet of Typhoon fighter jets. 

The £346.7m contract, signed with Rolls-Royce, will provide maintenance support for the EJ200 engine up to 2024 as the Typhoon continues to form the backbone of the RAF’s fighter jet fleet.

Defence minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said: “Not only will this contract help to maintain our world-class jets, it secures 175 jobs across the UK and boosts the skills base our defence industry relies upon. Together with our multi-million-pound upgrade programme, this contract will ensure our Typhoon fleet continues to dominate the skies in the decades to come.”

Around 175 Rolls-Royce jobs in Bristol, RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire and RAF Lossiemouth in Moray will be supported as part of the contract. Rolls-Royce will repair and maintain the Typhoon engines as required by the RAF over the five-year period. They will also be responsible for the provision of modules, spares and accessories to support the aircraft fleet, including the transportation of the equipment between RAF bases and the Rolls Royce manufacturing facility in Bristol.

Air Marshal Julian Young, chief of materiel (air), defence equipment & support, said: “This new deal on EJ200 engine is demonstrable evidence that we remain committed to working with our industrial partners to drive down support costs and at the same time pursue excellence and deliver great equipment to the Front Line.”

The Typhoon force is operationally based at RAF Coningsby, RAF Lossiemouth, the Falkland Islands and Amari Air Base in Estonia, where the aircraft respond to potential threats to UK air space in Quick Reaction Alerts. 

The Typhoon fleet has benefited from a £425m upgrade programme over the last three years, and the MOD invested £18.9bn with UK industry last year, which supported 115,000 jobs.