Show stopper

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson is expected to unveil plans for the first British designed and built fighter jet since the Sixties today as attention turns from the Royal International Air Tattoo, where VIPS watch fighters and the Red Arrows over the Cotswolds, above, to the Farnborough Airshow and hard-nose business deals.

GOVERNMENT-BACKED projects are set to dominate the first day of the Farnborough Airshow today as Theresa May looks to soothe the industry’s fears over Brexit.

Greg Clark, the Business Secretary, will today confirm that the UK’S first spaceport will open in Sutherland, Scotland, from the early 2020s. He will also unveil a new £2m fund for further spaceport launch sites across Britain as the Government looks to bolster the space industry after Brexit.

The announcements comes as California-based Virgin Orbit prepares to sign a major deal with Spaceport Cornwall at the Farnborough Airshow, which will be opened today by Theresa May. In her speech, Mrs May plans to promise aviation bosses that she will secure millions of aviation jobs and strengthen Britain’s position as a leading aerospace nation.

“We will take back control of our borders, our laws and our money. But we will do so in a way that is good for business and good for our future prosperity,” she is expected to say.

Meanwhile, Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, will today detail the Government’s Combat Air Strategy, which is likely to lay out plans for a new British designed and built fighter aircraft to replace the Eurofighter Typhoon from the 2020s.

Government announcements are expected to overshadow the traditional rivalry of orders between Boeing and Airbus this week. The market has been waiting for details of Boeing’s “new model aircraft” (NMA) which is expected to carry between 220 and 270 passengers about 5,000 miles.

Also nicknamed the “middle of market” (MOM) airliner, the specifications place it between the largest single-aisle jets such as the workhorse 737 and smaller wide-body aircraft such as the 787 Dreamliner.

However, ahead of the air show, Kevin Mcallister, the head of Boeing commercial aeroplanes, dampened hopes the company would give the green light to the jet any time soon.

“There will be no decision for the balance of the year,” Mr Mcallister said. “We still have the time to do it for [a launch in] 2025. We need to get the design right and the supply chain right.”

Mr Mcallister said Boeing saw a global market for 5,000 NMAS, and 60 airlines had expressed an interest in it.

“The world is changing and there are lots of routes which are high density and short haul,” he said. “The market for it is global and not limited to any particular geography.”

While he put back the official goahead for the NMA, signs are that Boeing is increasingly likely to proceed with it. This month the company trademarked “797” – following the Boeing’s naming protocol for aircraft.

Engine manufacturers Rolls-royce, CFM and United Technologies have also been asked for proposals on powering a new aircraft. Normally this happens much later in the design cycle.

The executive also threw down the gauntlet to arch-rival Airbus as both companies enter the regional airliner market.

Orders for smaller models are expected to dominate at Farnborough, which takes place every other year. Both Airbus and Boeing have taken stakes in manufacturers of smaller jets.

Boeing has linked up with Embraer and Airbus with Bombardier, creating a new battleground for the industry giants.

“It’s game on,” said Mr Mcallister, referring to the Embraer tie-up, which is subject to regulatory approval. “But the deal was not in response to Airbus and Bombardier.” Boeing agitated for huge tariffs to be placed on Bombardier’s C-series jets sold in the US, arguing that they were state subsidised.

However, Airbus has said it will build the C-series in the US, getting around the prospect of tariffs, and Boeing’s campaign for the levies failed.