New BAe contract
Dec 8, 2006 5:42:23 GMT 1
Post by rampvan on Dec 8, 2006 5:42:23 GMT 1
BAE wins £124m aircraft contract
The unmanned plane will use a stealth design
The Ministry of Defence has awarded a £124m ($244m) project to develop an unmanned aircraft to BAE Systems.
BAE Systems, the UK's largest defence group, will lead a team including Rolls-Royce, Qinetiq and Smiths.
Called Project Taranis, the plane will be about the size of a Hawk jet and will use a stealth design.
It is not yet known how many jobs the project will create nor where it will be based. It will test whether unmanned planes can carry ground attack weapons.
'Cutting edge'
Defence Procurement minister Lord Drayson has hailed Taranis, named after the Celtic god of thunder, as "groundbreaking".
"I am delighted to award this contract, which will test cutting edge technology for a new generation of equipment for our front line forces," he said.
Flight tests for the prototype have been provisionally scheduled to take place in 2010.
BAE Systems chief executive Mike Turner said it was an important project "in light of the way in which military operations are changing".
The company has recently been in the headlines due to possible problems surrounding a £6bn order from Saudi Arabia for its Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.
BAE Systems has voiced concern that Saudi Arabia may pull out of the deal due to an ongoing investigation by the UK's Serious Fraud Office into an earlier BAE deal with the Saudis.
This investigation focuses on whether BAE Systems used a slush fund to pay "sweeteners". BAE Systems has strongly denied the allegations.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6218060.stm
The unmanned plane will use a stealth design
The Ministry of Defence has awarded a £124m ($244m) project to develop an unmanned aircraft to BAE Systems.
BAE Systems, the UK's largest defence group, will lead a team including Rolls-Royce, Qinetiq and Smiths.
Called Project Taranis, the plane will be about the size of a Hawk jet and will use a stealth design.
It is not yet known how many jobs the project will create nor where it will be based. It will test whether unmanned planes can carry ground attack weapons.
'Cutting edge'
Defence Procurement minister Lord Drayson has hailed Taranis, named after the Celtic god of thunder, as "groundbreaking".
"I am delighted to award this contract, which will test cutting edge technology for a new generation of equipment for our front line forces," he said.
Flight tests for the prototype have been provisionally scheduled to take place in 2010.
BAE Systems chief executive Mike Turner said it was an important project "in light of the way in which military operations are changing".
The company has recently been in the headlines due to possible problems surrounding a £6bn order from Saudi Arabia for its Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.
BAE Systems has voiced concern that Saudi Arabia may pull out of the deal due to an ongoing investigation by the UK's Serious Fraud Office into an earlier BAE deal with the Saudis.
This investigation focuses on whether BAE Systems used a slush fund to pay "sweeteners". BAE Systems has strongly denied the allegations.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6218060.stm