UK Orders 40 ECRS Mk2 AESA Radars to Upgrade British Air Force Typhoon Fighter jet fleet.

The British government has approved a £453.5 million contract for full-rate production of 40 ECRS Mk2 AESA radars for the RAF’s Eurofighter Typhoon fleet. The upgrade significantly enhances the aircraft’s survivability, electronic warfare capability, and air dominance against near-peer threats.

The UK Ministry of Defence confirmed on January 22, 2026, that it has awarded a £453.5 million contract to BAE Systems, Leonardo UK, and Parker Meggitt for the full-rate production of 40 ECRS Mk2 active electronically scanned array radars. The advanced sensors will be installed on the Royal Air Force’s Tranche 3 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft, introducing a step change in detection range, electronic attack capability, and resilience in contested airspace, according to defence officials familiar with the program.
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British Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jet, soon to be equipped with the new ECRS Mk2 AESA radar, enhancing its ability to detect, track, and engage threats in complex air combat environments. (Picture source: British MoD)

With deliveries scheduled to commence later this decade, the ECRS Mk2 radar upgrade is not merely a technological refinement - it represents a critical evolution in the RAF’s air combat toolkit. Unlike legacy mechanically steered systems, the ECRS Mk2 combines advanced AESA radar detection with embedded electronic warfare functions, enabling simultaneous wide-area surveillance, target tracking, and high-powered jamming against hostile emitters. Designed specifically for contested and denied battlespaces, the radar gives RAF Typhoons the ability to engage threats at extended range, suppress enemy air defences (SEAD), and exploit the electromagnetic spectrum more aggressively than ever before.

The UK Ministry of Defence has framed the procurement as a strategic countermeasure to rapidly intensifying threats across the Euro-Atlantic theatre, with Defence Secretary John Healey underscoring the system’s relevance amid continued Russian drone incursions and growing airspace violations along NATO’s eastern flank. During a site visit to Leonardo’s radar production facility in Edinburgh, Healey characterised the new radar capability as “essential to ensuring the RAF remains secure at home and strong abroad for many years to come.”

The contract will directly sustain over 500 high-skilled roles in Edinburgh, Luton, and Lancashire, and indirectly support more than 1,300 defence sector jobs throughout the UK supply chain over the next decade. Beyond its domestic economic footprint, the ECRS Mk2 programme strengthens the Eurofighter Typhoon's export competitiveness, with Leonardo officials expressing hopes the sensor will be adopted by other Typhoon-operating air forces as part of future upgrade pathways. RAF officials emphasised that the radar’s embedded electronic attack functions place it among the most advanced airborne EW systems in service among NATO allies.

This investment follows a series of successful test flights of the prototype radar, which has been jointly developed by the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) Typhoon Delivery Team, BAE Systems, and Leonardo UK. The trials validated both the radar’s high-power transmission and its real-time data fusion capabilities, clearing the way for full-scale production. RAF Air Commodore Nick Lowe, Head of Capability for Combat Air, confirmed that the radar’s introduction will provide British pilots with a decisive operational edge in an era of increasing peer-level competition, allowing the Typhoon to penetrate sophisticated air defence networks and prosecute targets with impunity.

Mark Stead, Leonardo’s Senior Vice President for Radar and Advanced Targeting, highlighted the system’s dual capability: “ECRS Mk2 isn’t just a radar - it’s an electronic warfare powerhouse that transforms the Typhoon into a far more lethal platform against adversaries that rely heavily on radar-guided systems.”

This announcement comes just three months after the UK secured an £8 billion Typhoon export agreement with Türkiye, reflecting a broader push by the Ministry of Defence to maximise the return on investment in its combat air enterprise. The upgrade aligns with the UK Government’s Strategic Defence Review and its NATO-first posture, reinforcing the Typhoon’s role in both national air defence and collective deterrence operations across Europe.

Crucially, the ECRS Mk2 upgrade is seen as a stepping stone toward next-generation air combat capabilities. As future sixth-generation platforms such as GCAP (Global Combat Air Programme) continue in development, ensuring the Typhoon remains credible and interoperable with future systems will be vital for the RAF’s force structure well into the 2040s.

Richard Hamilton, Managing Director of Europe & International at BAE Systems, echoed this sentiment, noting that "continued investment in Typhoon capability is crucial and ensures we’re able to maximise the UK’s investment in the aircraft and accelerate combat air technologies critical for defence capabilities."

With the RAF Typhoon fleet projected to remain in frontline service through the mid-2040s, this radar enhancement represents not only a technological upgrade but a strategic affirmation of the UK’s commitment to maintaining air superiority in a rapidly shifting global security environment. As the first production radars move through Leonardo’s assembly lines and into operational squadrons, the Typhoon will be poised to deliver a more agile, electronic warfare-capable punch across NATO’s skies.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.