£253 million deal secures Marham's future
AEROSPACE firm BAE Systems was on Monday awarded a £253 million contract from the Ministry of Defence to upgrade the Tornado GR4 jets at RAF Marham.
Defence Minister for Equipment and Support Baroness Taylor announced the deal, which will see the aircraft fitted with better communications and precision-guided bombs.
The move has been welcomed as indicating that the future of the West Norfolk base is secure at a time when the MoD has been making cuts elsewhere.
North West Norfolk MP Henry Bellingham said more than 3,000 service and civilian jobs depended on RAF Marham, one of the biggest operational bases in the country, so it was "extremely good news".
The Tornado contract was linked to another 99 million one for BAE – formerly British Aerospace – to upgrade communication systems in Harrier jets.
Baroness Taylor said: "Tornados and Harriers are providing an outstanding job supporting our troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"This contract with BAE Systems will provide our Tornado and Harrier jets with state-of-the-art equipment that will significantly improve their ability to communicate with each other and assist operations on the ground."
BAE spokesman Jon Bonnick said the company currently has about a 100-strong team working alongside RAF personnel on maintenance of the Tornados at Marham.
Under the new contract, precision-guided bombs and secure communication systems will be fitted to the jets while they are undergoing maintenance work in the hangars instead of taking them out of frontline action twice, he said.
The Tornados will also be fitted with tactical information exchange equipment to enable them to interact with coalition forces in battlefield situations and reduce the possibility of any friendly fire incidents.
"We (BAE) have been at Marham for a couple of years now and are gradually building up the team to meet the full service required both in modifications and on the maintenance side," Mr Bonnick said.
He added that BAE had people living in West Norfolk and a local purchase policy so businesses in the area should benefit from the extra work.
Mr Bellingham said: "I will be looking for whether there are any new opportunities for local contractors to get involved in sub-contracting.
"These guys are going to be working and living in the area and spending money on local goods and services so it will help secure the future of RAF Marham and underpin it as one of the largest and most successful operational bases in the country."
South West Norfolk MP Christopher Fraser said: "I welcome this news.
"The long-term nature of the contract for Tornado enhancement should enable BAE to make significant investment in its staff at RAF Marham, and continue to attract local people to jobs at the base."
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Weather for King's Lynn
Saturday 26 May 2012
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