THE team behind the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter aircraft spent more than £23m with their suppliers in the north west last year.

The Typhoon's front fuselage is built at BAE Systems, in Samlesbury and plane assembly happens at nearby Warton, while the regional supply chain includes composite metals specialists Kaman Composites, of Darwen, and Thyssenkrup Aerospace, of Bamber Bridge, which supplies specialist heat treatments.

Chris Boardman, managing director of BAE Systems Military Air and Information (MAI) business, said: “When we see one of the RAF’s elite pilots take to the air in a Typhoon, it is the collective achievement of thousands of people across the country whose day-to-day jobs make it happen.”