RAF’s radar raiders

£317m system will give its jets control of the skies

RAF Typhoons are to be fitted with a £317million radar system that can jam enemy air defences hundreds of miles away.

Pilots will be able to detect and disable multiple targets – in the air and on the ground – at the same time.

Military experts rate it the most advanced radar technology ever developed for a fighter jet.

The project – European Common Radar System Mark 2 – will secure 600 highly- skilled jobs at BAE Systems and its contract partner company Leonardo.

‘This will provide world-beating combat advantage to the Royal Air Force,’ said Mark Hamilton, senior vice-president at Leonardo.

‘It can interfere with and suppress enemy air defences using high-powered jamming, allowing Typhoons to fly missions in airspace which is heavily contested.

‘This means that Typhoon pilots can not only engage targets outside the reach of those threats, but can also detect and jam enemy systems and operate inside the range of opposing enemy defences.

‘The UK will retain freedom to deliver air power wherever and whenever it is needed.’ The radar system is expected to be in service with the RAF Typhoons by the mid-2020s.

Defence minister Jeremy Quin said: ‘It is vital that our armed forces are equipped with the latest technology to counter emerging threats from our adversaries.’

The jobs include at least 300 at Leonardo’s Edinburgh site, 100 at its Luton site, 120 at BAE Systems in Lancashire, 100 more in Dunfermline and 50 at sub-contractor Meggitt in Stevenage.

Andrea Thompson of BAE said: ‘This capability will allow Typhoon to take its place in the future battlespace for decades to come, maturing key technologies for future combat air systems.

‘It will sustain the key skills needed to keep the UK at the forefront of the global combat air sector.’

Leonardo is also testing a counter-drone system to help the RAF detect and attack enemy or rogue drones at airports. Early elements of the technology were used by air force units in 2018 and 2019 following drone sightings at Gatwick and Heathrow.