British fighter jet production faces uncertain future as RAF eyes US planes
UKʼs last Typhoon fighter jet assembly line goes quiet after finishing Qatarʼs order. Defense officials consider buying American F-35s while union leaders warn about risks to British aviation industry
The UKʼs fighter jet industry faces a cross-roads as production of home-built Typhoons at BAE Systems Preston-area plant has come to a stand-still. The facility which finished a multi-billion pound Qatar order this fall‚ doesnt have new assembly work lined up
Steve McGuinness from Unite union told MPs in a letter that the situation is critical: “No Typhoons are being final-assembled at Warton site and no orders for future aircraft exist.“ The factory still makes front-parts for other European countries but these get shipped abroad for completion
Defense officials seem to be looking across the Atlantic — reports suggest RAF might pick US-made F-35s over new Typhoons. This choice could affect Britainʼs air-defense future (especially the next-gen Tempest program development)
Essentially production has stopped for British-built Typhoon aircraft
The factoryʼs history spans about 25 years with 160 jets made for RAF‚ but no new UK orders since 09. Meanwhile other consortium members stay active: Germany ordered 20 more planes this summer after Russia-Ukraine events started. Industry experts point to possible deals with:
- Turkey (40 aircraft planned)
- Saudi Arabia
- Egypt
- Poland
BAE says production will run through late-20s‚ thanks to parts manufacturing for Qatar Germany and Spain orders. However union leaders want government to order 24 new jets — making Britain the only Eurofighter group member without fresh orders on books
