BAE Systems | The Spectator columnists & writers

We’ve all witnessed significant change in the past few years with the pandemic, climate crisis and the strained world economy impacting everyone’s lives. The war in Ukraine is having a devastating human cost, and has reminded us all of the importance of strong defence and security in the face of Russian aggression. The Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon aircraft, manufactured and built in the UK, continue to play a crucial role in protecting the United Kingdom and its allies. They provide around-the-clock quick reaction alert, protecting the nation and playing a critical part in securing Nato airspace as part of the Allied response following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As the UK’s sovereign combat air provider, we recognise the critical importance and responsibility of our role, together with our partners Leonardo and Rolls-Royce, in delivering sovereign capability that provides the UK with independence in how we design, procure and deploy air power.

Advertising feature: BAE Systems: Building a better Britain

At BAE Systems we help defend the nation by protecting and serving those who protect and serve us. We do this by being performance-driven and values-led. Our focus on performance means that as a successful business, we are able to make a significant contribution to the economies and societies in which we operate. An independent report by Oxford Economics showed that we made a contribution to the UK’s GDP of more than £10 billion in 2020. We delivered almost £4 billion in exports and employed 143,000 people in the UK directly and indirectly through a network of 5,000 suppliers with whom we spent £3.8 billion in 2020. This included nearly £700 million with suppliers in the country's most deprived local authorities.

The future of defence: innovative technologies and evolving threats

‘We are in an incredible era of transition in the way we do battle,’ said Tobias Ellwood, chair of the defence select committee as he opened the second discussion of The Spectator’s Global Britain summit. The panel discussion (kindly sponsored by BAE Systems) had been convened to discuss that very topic: namely how the rapid progress of technology was changing both the nature of threats and defence itself - and what that might mean for Britain and the West more broadly. ‘We are moving away from traditional battlefields where we have regiments and battalions fighting each other afar,’ Ellwood continued. 'Data has overtaken the terrain, and it's now becoming much easier to harm your adversary at home.' This fundamental shift, he said, was raising existential questions for the West.

Beyond Brexit: how to unlock our global potential

Engineering for a Greater Britain

As I write, the UK has spent more than six months battling a virus which has led to the greatest upheaval and disruption to our daily lives in modern times. Its course and longevity remains unpredictable, and ominously the full impact on our societies and economy is unknown. Managing extraordinary events does inevitably force new and innovative thinking, accelerates novel technologies and helps us realise our strengths. In this environment, decisions made now could set the path for the UK’s place in the world and our prosperity for decades to come. We need to think carefully about how best to future-proof and grow our economy for the long-term. As we consider options for UK policy on security, defence and foreign affairs after Brexit, I believe the UK has a unique opportunity to capitalise on its historically strong and enviable tradition of engineering.

The UK’s combat air sector – vital for our economy, security and sovereignty

As the UK government carefully considers measures to assist a programme of economic recovery from the impact of Covid-19, BAE Systems and companies across the UK’s combat air sector are continuing to recruit and train staff and develop leading-edge technologies in collaboration with our boldest and brightest minds across industry and universities. This is in support of Tempest – our vision to deliver the most ambitious combat air programme in living memory. The UK’s combat air sector is a vital element of our economy. It has a turnover in excess of £6 billion a year and accounts for more than 80 per cent of defence exports over the past decade. It is highly productive and sustains more than 46,000 skilled jobs, many of them in engineering and manufacturing roles.

A national asset

This year is an important one for the nation and the aerospace world as it marks 100 years since the first independent air force was formed. We congratulate the RAF in its centenary year and salute its service to the nation’s security and its promotion of UK values throughout the world. Inevitably as a company very much involved in aerospace, the evolution of BAE Systems in the UK and its predecessor companies has been intertwined with the development of the RAF and the technology the force has needed. Since the early days, with the production of the RAF’s first fighter aircraft — the Sopwith Snipe building on the success of the earlier Royal Flying Corp Camel —and now with Typhoon, BAE Systems has worked side by side with the RAF to provide a sovereign aircraft capability which protects the nation.

A vital contributor to the UK

BAE Systems plays a critical role in ensuring the security of the United Kingdom. The company is the nation’s largest defence, aerospace and security company and delivers some of the largest and most technically advanced engineering and manufacturing projects in the world, keeping countries, their people and infrastructure secure. By investing £4 billion in the 8,900 companies in its supply chain, BAE Systems makes a significant contribution to the UK’s national and regional economies, the technology sector and the fabric of UK society by providing unrivalled skills, training and opportunities for social mobility. The company creates highly skilled jobs, invests in research and development and generates significant exports and tax revenues.

The power of working together

This year is an important one for the nation and the aerospace world as it marks 100 years since the first independent air force was formed. We congratulate the RAF in its centenary year and salute its service to the nation’s security and its promotion of UK values throughout the world. Inevitably as a company very much involved in aerospace, the evolution of BAE Systems in the UK and its predecessor companies has been intertwined with the development of the RAF and the technology the force has needed. Since the early days, with the production of the RAF’s first fighter aircraft — the Sopwith Snipe building on the success of the earlier Royal Flying Corp Camel —and now with Typhoon, BAE Systems has worked side by side with the RAF to provide a sovereign aircraft capability which protects the nation.

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