A NEW jet fighter radar contract for the Royal Air Force worth £317 million will support 100 jobs in Dalgety Bay.

Electronics workers at BAE Systems, in the Hillend and Donibristle Industrial Estate, will help equip the Typhoon aircraft with technology that will enable it to locate, identify and suppress enemy air defences using high-powered jamming.

The minister for defence procurement, Jeremy Quin MP, announced the contract, which will also support 300 jobs at the Leonardo plant in Edinburgh and 200 jobs in England, this morning.

He said: "It is vital that our armed forces are equipped with the latest technology to counter emerging threats from our adversaries.

“Today we announce the investment in the latest in radar technology for our fighter jets.

"This demonstrates our commitment to maintaining security in the air whilst supporting highly-skilled jobs across the UK.”

Typhoon aircraft will be equipped with next-generation radar thanks to the £317m investment.

The Ministry of Defence said that the integration of the new European Common Radar System (ECRS) Mk2, which is based on Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology, will provide a capability edge in the increasingly contested battlespace.

Currently fitted with mechanically-scanning radar, the Typhoon is designed to be continuously upgraded to meet operational demand no matter the challenge or threat.

The ECRS Mk2 will allow the aircraft to simultaneously detect, identify and track multiple targets in the air and on the ground in the most challenging environments.

UK Government minister for Scotland, Iain Stewart, said: “This £317m radar contract and the 400 jobs in Edinburgh and Dunfermline it supports clearly shows yet again that not only does defence play a crucial part in the security of the United Kingdom but it also significantly contributes to Scotland’s prosperity in high-skilled employment and investment.

“Our nation has a proud military history and UK Government defence investment here will ensure there is a bright future with latest Ministry of Defence figures showing that procurement spend in Scotland has risen to £1.76 billion a year, supporting more than 10,000 Scottish industry jobs.”

Figures published earlier this year show MoD procurement spend in Scotland has risen to £1.76 billion in 2018/19, the fifth year running there has been an increase, which helps support more than 10,000 jobs in this country.