The final assembly of Britain’s Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft has effectively come to a standstill, with BAE Systems’ Lancashire facility winding down operations after fulfilling its last major contract.
According to a report published by the Financial Times, the absence of fresh orders has brought the UK’s production line to the brink of closure, raising concerns about industrial capabilities and national defence commitments.
The Typhoon, jointly developed by the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain, has been assembled at BAE Systems’ site in Warton, Lancashire, for decades. However, production activity has now largely ceased. The plant is preparing to deliver the final aircraft under a £5 billion contract with Qatar, signed in 2017. Once this delivery is complete, there will be no remaining units in production.
“There’s still one aircraft in the hangar, but it’s waiting on a few parts and final painting,” a union representative told the Financial Times. “As far as final assembly goes, that’s done—there are no workers left on it.”
The UK Government has not placed any new orders for Typhoon aircraft since 2009. While additional export deals—particularly with Saudi Arabia and Qatar—are under discussion, they have not yet been concluded.
Union leaders and industry observers have warned that the production halt could lead to the erosion of key skills across the UK’s defence manufacturing sector. This may have implications for Britain’s participation in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), a next-generation fighter jet initiative involving the UK, Japan and Italy. Maintaining a skilled industrial base is seen as essential for delivering the future platform, intended to replace the Typhoon in the 2030s.
Sharon Graham, General Secretary of Unite the Union, criticised the government’s handling of the situation, highlighting a contradiction between stated policy aims and actual outcomes. “Workers at BAE and across the UK’s defence industry will be asking how a government that promises to turn defence spending into ‘British growth, British jobs, British skills, and British innovation’ has allowed this to happen,” she said.
Graham further warned that the lack of continuity in fighter aircraft production poses a threat not only to employment and skills, but also to national security. “I have repeatedly told ministers how great a risk this is to jobs, skills, and the UK’s sovereign capability if we stop building our own fighter jets,” she added.
The government has not issued a public response to the latest reports. However, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to increase the UK’s defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035—a target aligned with NATO’s evolving strategic posture. Starmer has presented the spending commitment as a means to stimulate economic growth and sustain domestic employment in key sectors, including aerospace and defence.
The Eurofighter Typhoon remains a cornerstone of the Royal Air Force’s fast-jet fleet and is in service with several allied air forces. Its future, however, is now closely tied to the progress of the GCAP programme. Without interim orders or a bridging plan to sustain production and skills, analysts warn that the UK could face a capability gap, with consequences for both export potential and strategic autonomy.
Although export opportunities continue to be explored, particularly in the Middle East, industry insiders stress that high-value defence contracts typically involve long lead times, complex political considerations, and substantial governmental engagement. As a result, even if negotiations with Saudi Arabia or Qatar yield agreements, they may not materialise in time to prevent a prolonged production gap.
The slowdown comes amid wider scrutiny of UK defence procurement and industrial strategy. While the government has committed to increased military spending, critics point to delays in shipbuilding, recruitment shortfalls across the Armed Forces, and a lack of coherent industrial policy linking defence spending with national resilience.
BAE Systems, the UK’s largest defence contractor, has not confirmed redundancies at Warton, though the winding down of assembly operations is expected to affect jobs both directly and across the supply chain.
The situation has reignited debate over the balance between domestic defence production and reliance on international partnerships. The next phase of the GCAP, expected to accelerate in 2026, may provide an opportunity to re-anchor manufacturing in the UK. However, that will require sustained investment, workforce retention, and a clear commitment from government to preserving strategic industrial capabilities.
Until then, the Typhoon’s assembly line—a fixture of British aerospace for more than two decades—stands on the verge of closure.
