Typhoon puts £10m into Lancashire supply chain

Eurofighter Typhoon, one of the world's most advanced fighter aircraft, spent £9.6m with supply chain companies from the red rose county in 2013.

The regional supply chain includes Thyssenkrup Aerospace of Bamber Bridge, which supplies specialist heat treatments, composite metals specialists Kaman Composites of Darwen, ATG (2000) of Blackburn, Gardner Aerospace and Hycrome Europe of Burnley, Pennine Tools of Barnoldswick and Hurst Green Plastics of Whalley.

Chris Boardman, managing director of BAE Systems Military Air and Information (MAI) business, said the figures underlined the importance of the Typhoon programme to the UK economy as well as supplying cutting-edge technology to the nation’s armed forces.

“From Leith in Scotland to Christchurch on the South Coast and Cambridge in the east right out to Tewkesbury in the South West, the programme is supporting highly-skilled people which make our supply chain tick.” Dr David Bailey, director of operations at the North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA) added: “The Eurofighter Typhoon Programme is a leading example of the North West of England’s world-class capability in the aerospace sector, supporting many thousands of jobs in both BAE Systems and the Supply Chain and contributes significantly to the economy.”