Aircraft

BAE Systems is advancing efforts to expand its Al Yamamah arms agreement with Saudi Arabia, launching flight tests of a potential upgrade to its Panavia Tornado interdictor strike aircraft and promoting future sales of the Eurofighter Typhoon.

Three Saudi Tornado sustainment programme demonstrators are being flight tested by BAE, with these likely to introduce some capabilities developed for the UK Royal Air Force’s Tornado GR4 upgrade, such as improved air-to-surface weapons. BAE chief executive Mike Turner says: “The objective is to get the Typhoon into Saudi Arabia. We’ve had £43 billion [$78 billion] from Al Yamamah over the last 20 years and there could be another £40 billion.”