One Third of Typhoons May Go
Plans to scrap a third of the troubled £50 billion Eurofighter programme and replace it with a new generation of unmanned fighter aircraft have been discussed by the Ministry of Defence and defence contractor BAE Systems.
Eurofighter - known as the Typhoon - is outdated, and its capability from a Cold War air defence role to ground attack are unlikely to be cost-effective.
Although the first batch of planes are being built, commitment to the third tranche is under question. Last week Finmeccanica conceded that tight European defence budgets placed the final 236 of the planned 620 aircraft in difficulties.
Those arguing for the unmanned programme believe it will be cheaper to deliver than Eurofighter, will push the European aerospace industry to the forefront of R&D, and provide a strategically more beneficial end product.
A BAE spokesman declined to comment. !!!! Probably did not understand the question.
Hurray. Can we have more money now to spend on developing our corporate image, developing our mission statements, ensuring our balanced score cards underpin the overarching....... blah blah blah blah.
Where are we going to train with these CUAVs