ACCaP Program: BAE Systems offers Belgium to enter Eurofighter future developments.

More than 50 representatives from industry and academia were at the event, which focussed on how the Eurofighter programme would seek to collaborate with Belgian industry, should Belgium choose Eurofighter Typhoon. Proposals included:

-- The creation of opportunities for Belgian industry to have a voice in the future development of Typhoon

-- The provision for Belgium to access valuable Mission Data and Electronic Warfare data, working with the UK

-- The opportunity for Belgium to participate in the support structure for the aircraft

-- The opportunity to ensure Belgium is "well positioned" for future European aircraft programmes

Anthony Gregory, Campaign Director for Belgium at BAE Systems, said: “One of the major strengths of our true European offer is that the IPR on Eurofighter is entirely owned by the companies within the programme itself. That means we can share that IPR and invite Belgium into the future development of the aircraft. Our proposals around access to Mission Data and Electronic Warfare data would mean Belgium would not simply be provided with a data pack, but would have its own representatives within the system.

“Belgium would be given access to the systems to allow it to programme the aircraft to its requirements, as well as having a seat alongside the UK. We have provided some of that UK infrastructure and plan to invite Belgian industry to become a part of it.”

The UK-led European offer to Belgium offers a Government to Government Memorandum of Understanding underpinning a deep strategic partnership and including a comprehensive relationship between the Royal Air Force and the Belgian Air Component.

Part of that relationship would bring the Belgian Air Component’s Eurofighter aircraft into a support structure based on the UK’s support model, known as the Typhoon Total Availability Enterprise, or TyTAN. The TyTAN agreement, signed between BAE Systems and the UK Ministry of Defence in 2016, is an innovative 10-year agreement to reduce the support costs of the Eurofighter UK fleet by more than a third, with savings reinvested into the programme.

Mr Gregory added: “We are examining how Belgian industry could participate in that structure. All of our proposals further ensure that Belgian industry is well positioned to take advantage of next generation capability. That is embodied in the Eurofighter aircraft, which benefits from a long-term future development path, but it also positions industry well for the next European combat aircraft development.

“The various elements of our offer are designed to ensure that Belgian industry can realise the full extent of opportunities that this procurement could represent.”

The European Eurofighter offer, led by the UK Government, is offering Eurofighter Typhoon as an advanced multi-role combat aircraft solution to Belgium. Other elements of the industrial proposals include the establishment of two National Innovation Centres for Belgium.