BAE Systems awarded contract to integrate improved weaponry on Tornado GR4

30 Jun 2010

BAE Systems has been awarded an 8.6 million Pound (US$ 12.8 million) contract to integrate improved weaponry onto the Tornado GR4 fleet, by the UK Ministry of Defence. Tornado GR4s are currently operated from RAF Marham and RAF Lossiemouth and are also on operational deployment to Afghanistan. Introduction of the Insensitive Munition (IM) variant of the Dual Mode Brimstone guided missile will provide the UK's Royal Air Force with a low collateral, precision attack capability against manoeuvring and fixed targets, in line with operational requirements and forms part of a wider weaponry package known as SPEAR (Selective Precision Effects At Range). A series of flight trials which will commence in 2011 will be carried out at BAE Systems Warton site to provide the necessary evidence to clear the Tornado GR4s to carry and deploy this weapon. The contract is just one element of a larger Complex Weapons contract, awarded by the UK Ministry of Defence to MBDA (UK) under the Team Complex Weapons initiative, earlier this year. Alun Fishburne, Managing Director Tornado and Harrier said: "It is vitally important that we support the frontline by offering the RAF the very best in complex weaponry. This programme will significantly enhance the Tornado fleet which already has proven capability on deployed operations in Afghanistan."

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