According to the company, MBDA will manufacture new Brimstone missiles for Typhoon jets and in future for the RAF’s new Protector RPAS and new Apache attack helicopters.

“This will be a new-build missile,” Cliff Kimpton, MBDA UK market development executive – Brimstone, told Jane’s here.

“We will remove all material obsolescence from what we had in Brimstone 2, and we will introduce additional enhancements.”

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

“Our world-class defence industry is a key foundation on which our great military is built, and the weapons it produces – like the pinpoint Brimstone missiles – have been crucial in helping our fighter pilots on missions such as driving down Daesh territory in the Middle East.

This massive £400m investment is a huge boost to the proud workforce equipping our armed forces and will create and protect hundreds of jobs across the country, bolstering both the power of the Typhoon jet and British prosperity.”

The new missile, boasting an upgraded seeker, rocket motor, warhead and guidance system, will arm Typhoon when it takes over as the RAF’s principal ground-attack aircraft in 2019. It will replace all earlier variants in 2022.

Lt Gen Paul Jaques, who is in charge of land materiel, said:

“The Brimstone 2 CSP contract enables us to continue to deliver a world-class air-to-surface missile in support of the RAF’s Typhoon squadrons on operations worldwide. It is excellent news not only for our troops but also for the UK economy, with jobs and skills being sustained across the country.”

The programme will allow the weapon to be further developed for use on future aircraft, including the AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, and the RAF’s next-generation Protector unmanned aerial system as mentioned above.