Eurofighter, F-35 To Form UK air combat capability 'Spear Point': Minister

The Eurofighter Typhoon will form the 'spear point' of the UK’s future combat air defence capability alongside the F-35 Lightning, Harriett Baldwin, the UK Minister for Defence Procurement has said.

“We see Typhoon as very much strengthening UK defence and the first quality I would highlight is its reliability; it has an engine that goes over 1,000 flying hours without needing unscheduled maintenance,” Harriett Baldwin MP, the UK Minister for Defence Procurement, was quoted as saying by BAE Systems Thursday.

“They’ve been heavily involved in striking at the heart of DAESH in the Middle East, warding off the Russian threat in Eastern Europe, safeguarding the Falkland Islands 35 years after the invasion, and, of course, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year providing our quick reaction alert to defend British skies.” she said during a presentation at the 2017 Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire.

“In the past few years we’ve been upgrading Typhoon with leading edge weapons, Brimstone, Meteor and Storm Shadow, and most recently the Defence Secretary revealed we’re enhancing its Defence Aids Subsystem (DASS), which provides missile warners, chaff, and flare dispensers to adapt to the changing threats.” She added.

At a darker, more dangerous time we know it will benefit our allies, helping collective efforts to shore up our international rules-based order, she said.

She added, “The Ministry of Defence in particular is pleased now to be supporting and leading some of those campaigns, whether it’s in Europe, the Middle East, or South-East Asia, where we believe Typhoon meets the requirements of our international partners."