MoD signs £184m contract to secure air-to-air missiles

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a deal worth £184 million, to ensure the UK’s supersonic stealth combat aircraft will continue to be equipped with the latest air-to-air missile.

The new contract will see MBDA manufacture an additional stockpile of an updated version of the weapon, allowing F-35 combat jets to use the missile beyond 2022. The advanced heat-seeking weapon which will give Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy pilots the ability to defeat current and future air adversaries.

Harriett Baldwin, minister for Defence Procurement, said: “Wholly designed and built in the UK, this air-to-air missile on our F-35 aircraft will secure cutting-edge air power for the UK for years to come.

“This contract will sustain around 400 jobs across the country and is part of the MOD’s £178 billion Equipment Plan which is backed by a defence budget that will increase every year from now until the end of the decade.”