Tempest programme to contribute £8bn per year to north west economy

The Tempest air combat programme has been predicted to add £7.9bn GVA to the north west economy, supporting 5,000 highly skilled jobs.

The programme is being delivered by Team Tempest, which is made up of the UK Ministry of Defence, BAE Systems, Leonardo UK, MBDA UK and Rolls-Royce.

The report, produced independently by PwC, also highlighted how the programme is expected to generate long-term high value employment, with productivity per worker 31 per cent higher than the regional manufacturing average.

Across the UK as a whole, combat air activities of the four Team Tempest partners are expected to contribute £100.1bn to the UK economy and support 62,000 jobs per year between 2021 and 2050. 

Investment by industry and MOD in research and development for Tempest will also generate positive spill-over benefits for the wider economy through applications of new technologies in other sectors and driving innovation in collaboration with hundreds of companies, SMEs and academic organisations.

Diane Shaw, EMEA aerospace, defence and security consulting leader at PwC, said: "As our research outlines, the scale of the Tempest programme is significant and expected to deliver wide-ranging benefits to the UK, stimulating investment in new technologies and promoting critical skills and capabilities that ensure the UK can continue to operate at the forefront of world-leading technology. 

"The programme will stimulate R&D in regions most in need and generate wider economic benefits for these areas, supporting the UK government’s levelling up priorities and contributing to the UK’s economic recovery and prosperity in the decades ahead.”

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