The Ministry of Defence has announced a 10-year support deal for the RAF’s Typhoon jets that could see more than £500 million “saved and re-invested” in the aircraft.

The deal with BAE Systems (www.baesystems.com) is expected to be worth £2.1 billion. It will sustain hundreds of jobs at sites across the UK, including RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire (the Typhoon’s main operating base) and the BAE Systems site in Warton, Lancashire.

Tony Douglas, CEO of the MoD’s Defence Equipment and Support organisation, said: “This 10-year Typhoon support arrangement is the product of close co-operation between the MoD and industry, both of which are focused on maximising efficiencies to identify savings — and then re-invest these savings in the aircraft.

“This innovative deal shows how committed we are to not only to providing ‘state of the art’ equipment for our armed forces, but also to giving the taxpayer value for money.”

The UK’s Typhoons are currently based at RAF Coningsby, RAF Lossiemouth and the Falkland Islands.