BAE Systems wins UK Harrier GR7/9 maintenance deal

The UK Ministry of Defence has contracted BAE Systems to maintain its Harrier GR7/9 ground attack aircraft for the next nine years, but programme officials say the bulk of the fleet could fly until 2022 without major additional work.

Worth £574 million ($850 million), the Harrier Platform Availability Contract will deliver "depth" maintenance and technical support services for the short take-off and vertical landing type at Royal Air Force base Cottesmore in Rutland.

Building on previous partnering agreements on the Harrier, the deal is expected to save at least £70 million by the aircraft's planned out-of-service date in 2018.

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