Closure-marked RAF Leuchars is about to play a lead role in the fight to safeguard thousands of UK defence industry jobs, The Courier can reveal.
Fighter aircraft and personnel from No 6 Squadron including servicemen and women uncertain about their own job security will deploy on exercise to Malaysia this month to mark the 40th anniversary of a defence agreement between the UK, Singapore, Malaysian, New Zealand and Australian governments.
However, The Courier can reveal that British military industrialists are also pushing the exercise as a shop window to showcase the capabilities of the British-built Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to potential buyers in South East Asia.
If successful, the contract could be worth millions of pounds to the British economy and ease some of the pain caused by defence giant BAE Systems’ recent announcement that it plans to shed almost 3,000 jobs including the proposed loss of 35 jobs at Hillend in Fife.
North East Fife Liberal Democrat MP Sir Menzies Campbell said the “irony will not be lost” on Leuchars aircrew that their base is facing closure while they are off selling the merits of Leuchars-based aircraft to an international audience.
A BAE Systems spokesman confirmed that Malaysia has a stated requirement for a new multi-role combat aircraft, with Typhoon being one of the contenders.
The spokesman said: “Eurofighter Typhoon is the most advanced multi-role fighter available to Malaysia and would provide the best air superiority capability in the region.
“Having the RAF display Typhoon’s capabilities in the region can only benefit our campaign as we look to secure new business not only in Malaysia but around the world.”
A spokesman for RAF Leuchars said the primary aim of Exercise Bersama Lima was to support the 40th anniversary of the Five Powers Defence Agreement (FPDA) and to further cement military relations between the UK, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia.
However, the capabilities of the Leuchars-based jets which recently saw action in Libya would also be showcased.
“Participating in the exercise will provide squadron personnel with valuable expeditionary training in tropical environments as well as operating in complex packages with multinational participants,” the spokesman added.
“The exercise also provides the opportunity to share experiences and the benefits of operating the Typhoon as a powerful fourth generation multi-role fighter with our partners in this region.
“No 6 Squadron will continue to maintain its primary quick reaction alert (QRA) mission at RAF Leuchars alongside this deployment.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said the FPDA was the cornerstone of UK defence policy in SE Asia.
He added that the participation of the RAF in the exercise was not part of a co-ordinated Typhoon sales campaign. However, he confirmed that the Typhoon is one of the aircraft under consideration by Malaysia, adding that its capabilities would be demonstrated in combat training alongside F-18s, Super Hornets and F-15s from other nations.
Eurofighter Typhoon is regarded as the world’s most advanced new generation multi-role aircraft available on the market and has been ordered by six nations Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Austria and Saudi Arabia.
However, a slowdown in production brought on by the global recession and defence budget cuts led BAE Systems to announce last month that it plans to shed nearly 3,000 jobs.