With Turkiye’s expected order looming over the most updated Eurofighter Typhoon, unions are urging an immediate Tranche 5 deal to protect jobs and capability at Warton.
The final assembly line for the Eurofighter Typhoon has gone dark at BAE Systems' Warton site in Lancashire, just as Türkiye's long-awaited decision on whether to buy the plane is about to be made. The stop is happening because there are no domestic or export contracts in place. This comes at a time when the UK is being asked to protect its capacity to make fighter jets before the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) starts, which won't happen until the middle of the 2030s.
Warton, once central to Royal Air Force deliveries, now stands idle. Yet the facility retains the capacity to rapidly deliver the first 20 of the 40 Typhoons requested by Turkiye, in full TurAF configuration. A formal announcement from Ankara is anticipated at IDEF.
According to a 7 July statement from the Unite union, final assembly at the Warton site has stopped entirely due to the completion of current orders and the absence of any new confirmed deals. In response, BAE Systems has begun reassigning hundreds of skilled workers to other company locations and RAF bases.
The union is intensifying calls on the UK government to place an urgent order for upgraded Tranche 5 Typhoons—also referred to as “T5”—to bridge the production gap until GCAP begins.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham condemned the government’s inaction, accusing it of undermining the very industrial base it claims to support. “Workers at BAE and across the whole UK defence and manufacturing industry will be looking at the ending of the Typhoon final assembly production at Warton and asking how a government promising to turn defence spending into ‘British growth, British jobs, British skills, British innovation’ could let it happen” she said.
As the UK, Japan, and Italy move forward with GCAP, Graham warned that losing experienced workers now could permanently weaken the UK’s defence manufacturing capacity. “Instead of planning to ensure skilled workers are ready to build the next generation of fighters, the government appears content to let those skills wither and die,” she added.
Unite is calling on the Ministry of Defence to place an immediate order for the RAF, replacing its ageing Typhoon fleet and securing continuity for the workforce. “The MoD must now urgently announce its commitment to the Typhoon with an order for the latest, cutting-edge T5 Typhoons to replace the aging RAF fighters being retired. A failure to do this could destroy a generation of aerospace workers and would amount to an act of national self-harm,” Graham said.
Rhys McCarthy, the union’s National Officer for Aerospace, criticised the government’s reliance on uncertain export deals. “This is an act of self-sabotage that will wreak havoc with the aerospace workforce across Lancashire and a UK wide supply chain that supports thousands of jobs. The government needs to place an order for new Typhoons yesterday.he warned.
The Ministry of Defence has yet to comment. For now, Warton awaits—idle, but ready.
It should be noted that Turkiye currently holds negotiations with BAE Systems. Turkiye does not mention Tranche 3,4, or 5; it just says the most updated version. It is known that the Royal Air Force wants to acquire Tranche 5s as soon as possible. It is therefore uncertain whether Turkish Eurofighters, if the deal is reached, will be Tranche 4 or 5.
Author: Özgür Ekşi
