For the UK aerospace sector Farnborough is a vital shop window, but this year there are growing worries about Brexit and the type of deal the UK will get in October.
Although reassured, to some extent, by the Government’s recent White Paper on Brexit, Airbus has already warned that it could pull production out of the UK. A bad deal will certainly impact the sector, accepts Paul Everitt, who heads up the ADS Group, which represents the UK’s aerospace, defence and space sectors.
But while Airbus may be re-considering its position in the UK, Boeing has said that it will continue to invest in the UK, with boss Dennis Muilenberg suggesting that while the company didn’t welcome any disruption to the movement of goods his plans for Boeing would not be changed by the UK leaving the EU.
The UK government has announced extra investment for the aerospace industry, totalling over £300million. That extra cash will be used to fund several projects including environmentally-friendly aircraft as well as two space ports.
The government has also announced a commitment to build a replacement for the Eurofighter and Farnborough saw the unveiling of the Tempest, a new high tech fighter aircraft. Unlike the current generation of jets it will be able to operate as a drone.
The government is planning to spend £2billion on developing the aircraft between now and 2025, but has yet to give an estimate on the overall cost of the programme.
The UK is unlikely to go it alone, however. Having been excluded from a Franco-German jet project, that’s already underway, it’s likely that the UK will be looking for an international partner – with Sweden being mooted as a potential partner.
These announcements and the commitment of the UK government to the sector has to be welcome, it’s worth £60billion to the UK economy, accounts for £30biilion in exports and supports one million jobs.
But welcome as the government's plan is, and it was described by ADS as a "strong statement of intent," many complex issues still need to be resolved.
