New £500m Contract Keeps UK At Heart Of Global F-35 Programme

The British military now has nine F-35B Lightning jets ready to be deployed on operations (Picture: BAE Systems).

The UK has been given a contract worth £500 million to carry out future maintenance work on the F-35 aircraft programme.

A second major assignment from the US Department of Defense, has been awarded to the F-35 avionic and aircraft component repair hub in North Wales.

It follows the announcement in 2016 that the UK would be the location of the global repair hub for the initial tranche of F-35 components.

The new assignment will support hundreds of additional F-35 jobs in the UK - many of them at the MOD’s Defence & Electronics Components Agency (DECA) at MOD Sealand, where the majority of the work will be carried out. 

It will involve crucial maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade services for an even wider range of F-35 avionic, electronic and electrical systems for hundreds of F-35 aircraft based globally.  

It builds on the innovative joint venture formed between the MOD (DECA), BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman called Sealand Support Services Ltd (SSSL). 

SSSL support work and services for F-35 are scheduled to start from 2020.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

“This announcement keeps Britain right at the centre of the global F-35 partnership, the largest defence programme in history.

"It is a vote of confidence in our highly-skilled workforce and high-tech industry that provides us and our allies with the very best of what British engineering has to offer.

“This deal builds on the strong foundations of the UK’s enduring defence partnership with the US.

It is a significant boost for British jobs and those highly-skilled workers who enable these world-class fighter jets to continue keeping us safe and secure.”

Sir Simon Bollom, CEO of the MOD’s procurement agency, Defence Equipment and Support, added: "In winning this work, the UK has demonstrated how MOD can collaborate effectively with industry bringing together a highly skilled and experienced workforce to offer an innovative and best value support solution for the benefit of F-35 partners.

“The UK also benefits from a long-term commitment to the F-35 programme and its unique defence relationship with the US.

"Together with our partners from DECA, BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman, SSSL will be able to offer the F-35 programme engineering excellence, world-class innovation and agility."